Stealing Fire
by Zee-Zee Magee
Summary: Nate and Sophie have to go on a victory tour, fight rumors about a supposed ruse for rebellion, stop uprisings they have no control over, and still maintain a long-distance relationship. This should be easy, right? Oh yeah, and they have to deal with the Quarter Quell and all of its surprises. This may take a while.
1. President Snow and Other Difficulties

**A/N:** _I told you there would be a sequel. Homework: Guess who's going to appear in this one. I'll give you a hint. Surprises are in store and you'll never get all of them. (Eliot's obvious, come on!)_

**Disclaimer:**_ Nope, I don't own Leverage or The Hunger Games. Obviously, I have no rights to them if I am writing fanfiction. It's kind of against the rules and all. See, I do read the guidelines._

_Enjoy!_

Nate awoke to an annoying hammering on his front door. The boy groggily took in his surroundings with a gentle turn of his neck, and winced. He sat up in his chair and was unashamedly not surprised to find that he had spent the night at the phone again. It wasn't the first time nor would it be the last.

He had kept well with his promise to Sophie Devereaux, his fellow champion of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. He called her every day at six o'clock just as promised. In fact, they were spending most of their time talking on the phone. It had been the best six months of his life. He and Sophie were closer than ever.

Another loud knock on the door echoed through the hallway and the championed groaned. He quickly rubbed the sleep away from his face and walked towards the door. His back ached from sleeping on the desk but he wouldn't have it any other way. So, he put on his best smile and opened the door.

The source of the noise was none other than Paul Fathers. He sighed in relief the moment the door opened for him and just barged right on in without an invite. He was being quite rude. Nate opened his mouth to comment on the behavior, but Paul cut him to the chase.

"You need an intervention," he said, pointing to the phone as he spoke. There was true anger on his features and Nate tried to figure out why that was. Of course, he was also kind of angry at the accusation.

"Are you telling me to stop talking to Sophie?" Nate asked angrily, "Because that's not happening."

"Actually," Paul grinned at the statement, "That's exactly why I'm here."

Nate felt the red hot anger pulsing rapidly through his veins. The rage and audacity of his friend's statement was the absolute worst thing in the world to wake up to. Distantly he wondered if his father put Paul up to this. Then he proceeded to close his hands into fists and focus solely on his breathing. He needed to calm down before he punched his friend.

"We all saw what happened, Nate," Paul looked helplessly towards his friend with genuine hurt on his features, "We know why you're talking to her."

"You're saying we," Nate pointed out childishly. He had been so certain Sophie had ended that. "There are more people involved in this. What did my father offer you?"

"Nothing, Nate," Paul rolled his eyes at his friend's outburst, "I came on my own. The we is meant for the entire district. I don't care what your father's thoughts on the subject are. I want to know if you realize what you're getting yourself into."

"You think she doesn't love me," Nate gasped at the thought. Of course she loved him. She interfered with his suicide to prove it.

"I have my doubts," Paul nodded slowly. Then he looked up guiltily towards his friend as if he didn't really want to say it. "What happened in the arena was a lot different than what all of Panem saw."

"You think I'm in over my head," Nate stared at his friend in betrayal of the thought, "don't you?"

"Actually," Paul took a deep breath before continuing, "I think you just need a little guidance."

Nate glared at his friend's statement. How could Paul do this to him? They had gotten so much closer since the games ended. He even let the champion hunt for his family without payment and everything. Paul had even earned his priesthood with Nate cheering him the hardest out of the whole district. How could he betray him like this?

"You're spending more time on the phone with her than you are in your own district," Paul explained himself harshly, "Everybody is relying on Parker for news of how you're doing. Parker barely even leaves the house anymore except for school. Nate, it's been weeks since the last time anybody in town's seen you. Even your father hasn't seen you."

"That's because I threw him out," Nate stated suddenly, proudly, "I told him he couldn't stay here drunk. He had to go somewhere else if he was going to drink. I don't want him anywhere near Parker when he's drunk!"

"That was a good move," Paul smiled at his friend's defense. He was thoroughly amused by it and didn't even seemed prepared for it. That was good. He was going off script.

"It was Sophie's idea," Nate smiled back. He was starting to feel relief at the mention of her name. His whole world revolved around waiting for the victory tour to begin so they could be together again. Then Sophie was going to move in with him and they were going to live happily ever after. He was even willing to have kids if she wanted them though he even doubted she would. They both knew firsthand that children of champions always ended up in the games. He did.

"Sophie sounds like a reasonable person," Paul laughed.

Nate pointed an accusing finger his friends way and smiled broadly. "I knew you were going to like her," he said.

Then the phone rang. It was still too early for Sophie to be awake but that didn't exactly matter. Nate still launched himself towards the phone with all of his might. Paul caught him by the shoulders and pulled him back with a warning look.

"You need to get out of the house, Nate," he said, "You're going to get yourself into trouble or something."

The phone kept ringing.

"Please," Nate cried out desperately, "It could be something very important. She could be hurt or something. She needs me."

Paul rolled his eyes at the dramatic young man before him. "Make it quick," he said, "You're going outside today."

Nate smiled and nodded his head. Then he raced towards the phone at top speed.

"Sophie," he answered.

"Sorry to disappoint," Tara's voice cackled on the other end of the line, "I was just calling to check on how your talent is going."

"Hi Tara," Nate smiled despite the fact that it wasn't the woman of his dreams, "Honestly, I haven't done a thing towards working on talent."

"I figured as much," Tara laughed into the phone, "That's why I developed one for you."

"Great," he said, "Lay it on me."

"You've taken up building designs as your talent," Tara informed him, "Don't worry. I've already taken the liberty to draw a few sketches. I'll show them to you when we meet up for your interview right before the tour."

"Thanks a mil," Nate smiled at his friend's statement.

"I guess I better get off the phone now," Tara suggested coyly, "You're expecting a very important call from your honey-bear, or do you call her fudge-sickle?"

"Bye Tara," Nate rolled his eyes at his stylist's horrid sense of human.

"Later gator," Tara called off, laughing hysterically at her own joke. There was a click and the phone disconnected.

"Tara?" Paul demanded with both eyebrows raised.

Nate rolled his eyes. "She's my stylist, you dimwit," he growled, "I would never cheat on Sophie."

"Oh, so now you two are officially together?" Paul asked with a knowing smirk. What was he getting at?

"You're not trying to get me out of the house because I spend too much time with Sophie," Nate realized, suddenly feeling nauseous.

Paul shook his head. "It's a matter for discussion outside where it's safe," he said.

"Let's go," Nate pushed through the door immediately. He felt Paul following behind him, heard him too. Paul was almost as loud as Maggie when it came to walking through a pile of leaves. It was a sad thought.

"It's about your victory tour," Paul stated slowly. He placed his hand on Nate's shoulder and pulled him further into Victor Plaza, the place where the champions of every district got to live.

Paul slammed Nate up against an empty house's wall and put a finger to his lips. He looked both ways and then slid by his friend's side so they couldn't be seen. Then he stared at the ground to make it look like they were being casual.

"There are rumors that people will use your victory tour as a way to measure whether or not you are for or against the Capitol," Paul stated slowly, deliberately.

"And if I fail they're going to hurt Sophie," Nate asked softly and just as slowly.

Paul shook his head. "No," he said, "They will go after Parker. Everyone is aware how close the two of you have become over the years, especially the last eight months. You need to be cautious. The amount of time you spend on the phone with Sophie only convinces people more that she is the one putting these ideas into your head."

"They think Sophie's using me to lead a rebellion?" Nate asked in awe. That was far-fetched even for the Seam. It wasn't even until the seventy-fourth annual hunger games that the rumors that he and Parker were dating finally ended. The rumors that Jimmy had an affair and Parker was the result only grew stronger of course.

"Not just any rebellion," Paul shook his head, "The rebellion. They think Sophie is using you to lead the districts into war to overthrow the Capitol once and for all. I'm pretty certain that those rumors are based off of what she said during the games."

"How much of that did you guys hear?" Nate demanded greedily. He had been the one to push Sophie to express her opinions on the games to begin with. These rumors were his fault, not hers. He was the one who backed her into a corner to admit the truth.

"Only that the Capitol should know the tributes deserved to be loved," Paul replied sadly, "but I'm dead certain that wasn't half of it. How much more did the cameras refuse to show us?"

"A lot more," Nate cringed at the news. The victory tour was going to have to become a schmooze fest in order to back Sophie out of the corner he put her in. They were going to have to work really hard to convince Panem that they really were just a couple madly in love. Of course, nobody could honestly think their actions had anything to do with war. They were just rumors and Paul was overreacting. Yeah, that had to be it.

"The camera crew comes tomorrow to tape your interview about your talent," Paul informed him quietly, "After that we will have a month to work on preparing you for the victory tour."

"Let's hope that's enough," Nate nodded in reply.

%

The interview and talent portion was uneventful. Tara and her lovely crew of harpy dressers came in and swept the boy up all day. He was primed and prettied before he even had a chance to say anything else. Parker even got the beauty treatment.

"I would rather die," Parker growled towards Doyle when he made the mistake of moving towards her.

Nate had to physically restrain her while the prep team set to work.

"I'll buy you some chocolate later," he promised, "They have to do this so you look presentable when the cameras come in. They will be interviewing you and Jimmy, you know."

"Fine," Parker huffed dramatically, "But I'm only doing this because you kept your promise and returned home. But if they make me wear one of those icky Capitol dresses, I'm ripping their fingernails off and stabbing them with them."

Thankfully, it didn't come to that. Instead Parker was allowed to wear Adrianne's old dress, the one she wore during Nate's last Reaping. They didn't even do much to her hair. They just brushed it and talked to her as if she was a baby. Parker refused to let go of Nate's hand the entire time. He was okay with that.

The camera crew followed the pair of them around the house. Nate put on his charming smile and showed off Tara's wonderful architecture drawings. The woman even remembered to stick some post-it notes on them for Nate to remember what he was supposed to talk about. All in all it was a great day.

Then when the camera crew and the prep team left, Tara winked him towards her with a few parting words.

"Be very careful about what you do for the next four weeks, Nate," she warned, "President Snow is going to make a personal appearance if the rumors are to be believed. He never makes a personal appearance. Don't give him anything to suspect that you or Sophie are preparing for a rebellion. You stick to the truth. It will set you free."

Nate nodded his head in agreement. He couldn't trust his voice enough to speak. Tara ruffled his hair with a kind smile and quickly pecked him on the cheek.

"Be good, handsome," she winked. Then she was out the door like the rest of them, hustling and bustling her way towards the Capitol as if she didn't have another care in the world.

Nate just swallowed thickly at the warning and immediately ran to the phone.

"Nate," Sophie's voice questioned over the phone. She didn't even sound surprised. She sounded hopeful and excited.

Nate's heart soared at the celebratory way she said his name. It was like the weight of the world was taken off of his shoulders just by the sound of her voice.

"Sophie," Nate smiled into the phone, "I'm so glad to be talking to you."

"What happened?" Sophie's voice immediately sounded concerned.

Nate's stomach clenched at the immediate sense of danger in the district one champion's silvery voice. It made his whole body clench in horror at the knowledge that she would have to get out of trouble once again. He vowed right then and there to make certain she would never have to worry about anything when they were together again.

"It's about the victory tour," Nate sighed. He figured getting down to the point would be best for the both of them.

"We're going to have to be very careful," he said.

"Why?" Sophie demanded immediately. Her voice sounded stressed now.

"Somebody is under the impression that we are planning a rebellion," he said.

"That's ridiculous," Sophie sneered at the idea. Nate could even picture the scowl curling on her lips and crinkling her gorgeous nose.

"I agree," Nate smiled at the knowledge that she was on his side, "but that doesn't matter. It's not important…"

"How is it not important?"

"We're not planning a rebellion," Nate smiled into the phone. She sounded completely outraged by everything that was going on and he could see the glint of fire sparkling in her chocolate brown eyes.

"I just wanted to call you and let you know in case somebody tried to pull something," he finished, "I just want you safe. I don't care about anything else."

"But we're not planning a rebellion…"

"And that is exactly why we'll be fine," Nate sighed in relief, "We're not doing anything wrong. Now, how have been?"

"I was fine until you told me somebody is spreading lies throughout the Capitol," Sophie's voice sounded strained at the evil news brought her way.

"Well I was bored to tears until I heard your gorgeous voice," Nate laughed. The weight of the phone in his hand and the sound of Sophie's voice seemed to be the trick to curing everything for him these days. It was a fabulous thought.

"Don't compliment me when I'm being rude to you," Sophie groaned into the phone. There was guilt in her voice now and she was definitely calming down.

"Don't sound like an angel and I won't."

"Nate," Sophie's voice sounded somewhere between scandalized and embarrassed. Her cheeks were probably turning bright red and her eyes were definitely staring at the ground. Her fingers were probably even tangling in her curly brown locks.

"I'm not an angel, Nate," she finished softly.

"When is the camera crew coming to film your talent?" Nate changed the subject immediately. He knew it was exactly what she needed.

"Tomorrow," she sighed, "I want it to be next month now. I'm so sick of this. I've got enough plants for medical services that I'm not even running out of them. I want to meet your District and the rest of your family."

"You will," Nate smiled happily, "Just wait. I promise I'll make it worth it."

"You better," Sophie growled playfully into the phone.

"What exactly is your talent?"

There was a brief pause on the phone. Well, there was a slight gasp of air and then a pause. It wasn't exactly horrifying but it was definitely worrying.

"Drawing," Sophie admitted softly, "I've been drawing and building models of what happened to us during the games. I'm going to show them Maggie when she died. I even have one of you sleeping. Actually, there are several of you sleeping. I can't seem to get your upper lip correct…"

"I look forward to watching them showing off your amazing talent," Nate swallowed back the thick lump Maggie's name caused. He was still having nightmares from that particular portion of the hunger games. In fact, that was one of the major reasons he and Sophie were on the phone so often.

It started almost immediately after the games ended really. Sophie called him that very night when they returned home. She had been in tears and swallowing hard. The only words out of her mouth were two names, Maggie and James, their fallen fellow tributes. That was all she really needed to say. Nate had spent the rest of that night talking her into a soft sleep and keeping her as calm as possible. They had been up until at least three o'clock that morning just talking about happier things.

"I'm glad you found something to get rid of those nightmares," Nate finished softly.

"I would much rather have you hear chasing them away with me," Sophie admitted just as softly.

"I will, Soph," Nate promised, grinning all the while, "You know I will."

"See you in a month, Nate."

"See you," Nate nodded.

"Love you," Sophie whispered into the phone.

"Love you too," Nate smiled at the news.

The phone clicked and buzzed.

Nate lowered the phone gently onto the receiver. The feeling of loneliness washed over him the moment the phone was properly put up. His heart hurt at the loss of Sophie's voice. The victory tour couldn't come fast enough for the both of them really.

%

Nate awoke to a gentle knock on his bedroom door. He sat up immediately and waited for the person to enter. Nobody knocked on his door. It was an interestingly new experience.

"Nate, you've got a visitor," Parker announced in a panic.

The small blonde merely pushed inside the door and gently closed it behind her. Then she blurred her way into the bed beside him, her skin as pale as the snow melting outside. There was a look of fear on her face. Nate knew this was going to be a bad day.

"What do you mean I have a visitor?" Nate asked quietly. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs but a soft voice seemed to be the only thing that worked on Parker. A soft and low voice also didn't alert the visitor to the fact that he was awake.

"He's in the office," Parker whispered from underneath the covers, "He smells like blood and roses. Please don't go down there."

"President Snow!" Nate snarled in disgust. He quickly jumped out of bed and started pulling clothes on and off without any consideration for the small girl cowering under his covers.

"He's touching Sophie's phone," Parker muffled a scornful hiss.

Nate stared at his closet door with wide eyes. He had forgotten that Parker still believed the phone belonged to Sophie instead of him. The poor girl thought it was the only way for her to even meet the champion that stole his heart. It was the only way she got to talk to her anyway.

"Stay here," Nate ordered the tiny blonde, racing out of the door as he spoke.

The champion of District Twelve raced into his office as quickly as possible. He slammed through the door and stared.

There at his desk, touching his phone with an evil twinkle in his eye was a man with snow gray hair. His blue eyes were firmly planted on the door and he wore a frown on his face. President Snow was waiting for him with both eyes trained on him.

"Hello, Nathan," President Snow smiled towards the champion of district twelve at the office chair. "Please have a seat."

"Sure," Nate nodded as he sat down in his own chair and was treated like a guest in his own home. "What brings you to district twelve, Mr. President?"

"Your victory," President Snow smiled at the form of small talk abruptly getting down to business.

"What about my victory, sir?" Nate questioned with a thick swallow of his throat. There was suddenly no moisture in his mouth at all the possibilities roaming around. The action of surviving for the sake of falling in love with another tribute had to be considered an act of defiance and he was about to pay for it now. He just hoped Sophie didn't have to suffer the same fate.

"Ms. Devereaux's act of flinging herself in the way of your plunging blade seems to have sparked some conflicts within the districts," President Snow informed the man with a calm shrug.

"What kind of conflicts, sir?" Nate asked as his heart started to fall into his stomach at where the conversation was going.

"Uprisings," President Snow remarked with a bitter smile, "and we don't like uprisings in the Capitol. Uprisings always end with bloodshed and we don't want bloodshed, do we Nathan?"

"Why are you here, sir?" Nate demanded with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Many people see Ms. Devereaux's act as that of a love sick girl fighting for her lover's survival," President Snow continued with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

"But you don't think so?" Nate's stomach dropped at the news.

"I don't think so," President Snow nodded in response.

"What do you think it was, sir?" Nate questioned with cold fear filling his every thought.

"I think it was what the people of the uprisings thought," President Snow explained as he gently buttered his biscuit.

"And what did they think it was, sir?" Nate asked as he tried not to show his fear of the news.

"They thought it was an act of defiance to the Capitol," President Snow stated pleasantly.

"But you can't honestly think that, sir?" Nate moaned towards the man in horror, "She was just trying to save me. Sophie wasn't…"

"It was a good strategy for survival," President Snow continued with an angry glare directed towards the champion to silence him. "She played us all for fools to sell the sappy idea of a lovesick girl frantically hoping to save the boy she had become smitten with. It made for good television which is why I allowed it to continue. Seneca Crane should have sent the hovercraft the moment that blade pierced her back but you accidentally fell prey to her charms. Don't worry. He was the one who paid the price for not getting you out of there in time."

"You don't think Sophie meant it when she said she's in love with me," Nate realized in agony of the possibilities of that one statement.

"I don't doubt your actions, boy," President Snow nodded in agreement. "I just thought you should know that it has now fallen into your hands to help her see the error in her ways."

"What do you want me to do?" Nate asked immediately. He was willing to do anything to save Sophie but now doubt blossomed in his mind. He was certain this had been the president's plan too.

"I want you to either break her heart or prove to the world that it was not an act of defiance to the Capitol," President Snow explained sharply. "Convince me that she's in love with you. Get her to fall in love with you if you must."

"And if I fail?" Nate questioned slowly.

"You won't," President Snow remarked coldly, "For her sake as well as your own."


	2. The Victory Tour

**A/N:** _So, I know I promised you guys an update in August and it's been forever but I have a very good excuse. My computer died on me and then came back to life so I had to get another one and then I discovered that the document that had the chapter wasn't saved onto my thumb-drive. So, I had to re-write the entire frickin' chapter without any idea where I was originally going. Now, I remember so this trilogy is on it's way. End of rant: enjoy! ;)_

Nathan Ford spent the train ride to District One in a completely bitter mood. While the president's warning had a lot to do with that mood it was something else the president had said. Had it really been Sophie's strategy to pick the tribute she thought was strongest and then convince them she was in love with him? Why did she allow him to live if that were true? Was it true? Was Sophie really using him to survive? If so, why didn't she just align herself with James and save everyone the trouble? There were just too many questions when it came to President Snow's statement. Was he right or was he just placing doubt into his mind to sever their bond?

Nate kicked at the seat right in front of him in frustration. The uprisings, President Snow and everything else were going to have to wait. He had a fellow champion to talk to. The boy looked out of his train window, feeling a little bit lighter after that thought, what he saw was amazing to behold. They were parked at the train station to District One. AT least he thought it was District One. There was a huge One in gold, bold at the top of the platform. There were even a whole bunch of cheering crowds waving around in excitement with their Capitol cameras and their Capitol outfits. They were there. They were finally at District One's platform.

The boy from District Twelve immediately raced through the train cars to meet his fellow champion. He raced through the dining car and its extravagant layers of chocolate cakes and decadent towers of breads. He raced through the beverage car with its constant bubbles of warm sticky soda. He raced through the dozens of make-up cars meant to make him and Sophie stand out to all of Panem. He raced clear way to the front of the car and into the chest of a rather imposing guard.

"Let me through!" Nate screamed at the man. His voice pitched a little higher than intended, his air was coming in short, quick breaths.

"Champions must stay inside the train at all times until we have reached the first destination on the Victory Tour," the guard said. He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his left eyebrow up in challenge of being crossed.

"One of the champions isn't even on board yet," Nate spat out bitterly towards the man. How was he supposed to prove President Snow wrong if he wasn't even allowed to meet Sophie before she boarded the train? It would just look like a publicity stunt.

"My orders come directly from President Snow," the guard said. He wasn't going to be swayed if he could help it.

"Then you can be the one to explain to President Snow why the uprisings are still happening because if you don't let me off of this train right now everyone is going to think that we were defying the Capitol and more people will die!" Nate screamed as loud as he could. He knew he was right. He knew exactly what was going to happen if people believed he and Sophie were leading a rebellion. He was not going to let that happen. He was not going to let President Snow kill her.

"Now, let me through!" He finished.

The guard nodded his head and stepped aside without another word. The door off the train lay behind him fairly open and Nate took a deep breath. He was about to see Sophie Devereaux again. He was about to see the love of his life and he didn't even look his best. Sure he was wearing a spiffy and new blue shirt and spiffy, new black pants. His hair was combed over to the left and his body smelled less like pine and more like sand, but he was nothing compared to her.

The young champion nervously wiped his hands against his pants and started walking out of the train door. He blinked away at the sudden appearance of sun in the sky and scanned the crowd. District One was colored in the gold of the sun and sparkled just as much. The pillars and ceiling were cast in a wide array of white gold, antique gold, green gold, and any other gold you could think of. Everything shimmered and shined like sunlight. Even the people were wearing outfits of varying shades of the color. Gold was clearly District One's best color and they were more than proud of it. They thrived in it.

Nate looked around the crowd ignoring the funny faces of the Capitol. He ignored the pretty blondes batting their eyes his way, trying to get him to notice them and make their dreams come true. He ignored the anxious looks of the peace keepers and the train runners working to keep the platform clear of non-champions. He ignored every gold shiny thing in his way. His eyes were in search of something far darker and rarer than the rest. He was looking for curly locks of shiny brown hair.

"Nate!" a familiar voice called off from somewhere near the right.

The champion from District Twelve looked all around the train station in eager anticipation. His search soon proved unnecessary moments later when a puff of brown hair slammed into his face. Delicate arms wrapped around his torso and squeezed tightly.

Nate felt his muscles easily form a smile as he recognized the strawberry shampoo. His arms easily returned the firm hug just as eagerly as Sophie Devereaux did.

"I missed you," Sophie mumbled into his chest. The admission was soft and carried a little bit of fear in it.

"I missed you too," Nate said. He mumbled the admission just as softly as she had. He wanted her to know that he was in this for the long run just as much as her. But the doubt was still there, shimmering in the back of his mind. Was she really in love with him or was she just playing him for a fool?

"I want to know everything about you and your district before we get there," Sophie ordered, smiling brightly in front of the whole of Panem, "I want to know everything and you better leave nothing out."

"We have something more important to talk about first," Nate whispered, afraid someone would hear even that much of their conversation. He needed to establish this early. He needed to know that they were real before he continued. It would be far too horrible for the both of them if he was kept unawares.

Sophie's luscious brown eyes grew dark and dull at the seriousness of his tone. Her brown eyes were once again charcoal and full of fear and worry. She was apparently preparing herself for the worst. The boy from District Twelve just hoped he was up for the challenge of putting her fears to bed. President Snow's visit had shaken his belief in the girl at his side far too much. He needed to know the truth.

"Lead the way," she said simply.

Nathan didn't even wait for the crowd to begin asking questions. He just grabbed his fellow champion's hand and dragged her towards the train. The guard rolled his eyes and let him by easily enough, but Nate could see the worry etched across his features. They both were probably going to pay for his little escapade onto the train platform.

_Oh well,_ Nate thought. It was a small price to pay for what he was about to ask. Heck, any chance of being able to bring a smile on Sophie's face was worth the wrath of President Snow. The truth was just too important. Hopefully the punishment wouldn't be too severe.

Sophie managed to wait until they had made it to his room before she started asking questions.

"Nate, what happened?" She asked the moment the door was closed. Her dark eyes shined with worry and fear. She was definitely expecting the worse.

"President Snow came to my house and paid me a visit today, Sophie," Nate said, starting with the basics seemed to be a good way to go.

"He didn't visit me," Sophie commented dryly. Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration and worry at that simple fact.

"He was letting me know that there have been a few uprisings because you put yourself in the way of my knife," Nate said. He figured spitting it all out in one go would make this easier. He just didn't who he was trying to make this easier on.

"Uprisings?" Sophie asked in confusion, "What uprisings? Where…?"

"President Snow thinks you just jumped in front of that knife as a sign of defiance to the Capitol…"

Sophie's mouth immediately formed into a frown. Her eyes grew wide again but this time in sadness and disbelief. Even the glow in her eyes dimmed.

"And now he has you doubting that my act was for you," she said. Then her head fell in defeat.

"Hey!" Nate gently put his hand under her chin and turned it so they were facing eye to eye. He could see the sadness in her eyes and it made his heart break all over again.

"I'm sorry but I have to know."

"I do," the district one champion sniffled in reply. The confidence in her words was astounding to behold.

"Good," Nate smiled wide at the simple statement coming from his girl's lips. It made him feel as though he could take on the world, President Snow and any problem that could ever go his way. Then the boy had the audacity to put both of his hands on the girl's cheeks and bring her up close to his lips. "Because I love you too and I'm so sorry I ever doubted you."

"You better be," Sophie grinned into his lips. They shared a kiss and embraced again as if nothing had ever happened.

"We have to convince him of the truth now or something terrible is going to happen," Nate said. He pulled the champion of District One tighter and tried to memorize the way she smelled of honey and roses. The smell of the Earth was still there against her skin and it was a familiar comfort to the boy from District Twelve. It was like he was home. That was a nice thought.

"How do we do that?"

Nate smiled at his girl's brilliant question. He had missed being able to look into her amber chocolate eyes whenever he wanted to. He even missed the way her nose would crinkle in confusion whenever she couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

"We show him and the rest of the world how much we love each other," he explained to her with love oozing from his lips, "We don't do anything to defy the Capitol. We play the lovesick victors of the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games that we are. If we do our job right, we'll make everybody sick from the sappy way we love each other."

Sophie hugged him tightly and smiled against his chest. He heard her sniff at his shirt as if to memorize his smell. That was a comforting thought to have. How could he have been stupid enough to even believe President Snow's words, the bastard, were true?

"I do love you, Nate," she whispered into his ear. It was a soft little wisp of air that sent a chill up and down his spine. Heat was rising up his cheeks as she continued to breathe right in tandem with him. The tingling from the games was starting to form wherever his girl's skin touched only more. It was as if the world had stopped and they were all that existed.

"I'm glad to hear it," he answered wisely. He was pretty certain his voice didn't sound as suave as he was aiming for. Sophie was too close for anything to function properly. He couldn't even think when she was so close to touching her lips to his. Now, that was a delectable thought.

Sophie licked her lips like the devil she was. Then her brown eyes darted to his lips and that devilish tongue was darting in and out again. Ooh, she really knew how to drive him crazy.

"Marry me?" Nate asked on impulse alone. Well, it wasn't really impulse. He had been planning it for a while. He just needed the proper occasion to pop the question. Right that moment seemed like it would be the best time.

Sophie sat up straight, backing away in shock. He immediately missed her warmth. She tilted her adorable head to the left and crinkled her nose up in confusion.

"What?" she asked.

Nate scooted closer and gently put a piece of her stray brown hair behind her ear. Then he caressed her face and smiled. "Marry me," he repeated.

Sophie blinked at the soft command. Her head tilted back and her lips, her gorgeous, delectable lips immediately formed into the biggest, brightest smile he had ever seen.

"Yes."

%

Sophie had to fight every fiber of her being to look normal as she stood at the District Eleven platform. She couldn't contain the excitement of her engagement.

_A secret engagement_, she reminded herself immediately. She couldn't get too cocky right now. She had to pretend nothing amazing had happened. She had to act like she and Nate were just rejoicing in the fact that they were together again. She couldn't act like she had just promised to spend the rest of her life with the man of her dreams who chased the nightmares away with nothing more than his wonderful smile. She didn't have a single nightmare the night before, not one. Nate just held her against his chest and cuddled her to sleep. It was totally because he was there with her every moment of the night that she actually got a good night's sleep.

"Sophie," Nate stared at her with a big smile at what was going through her mind, "Calm down."

Sophie just bit her lower lip and grinned shyly at her man. Her man; that was something worth noting and squealing about when she was in the privacy of their train car and not about to be showered with the screams and shouts of adoring fans.

The champion of District One quickly touched the ring around her neck. Nate had told her about how it had belonged to his mother before she died. He had rescued it so that Adrianne would one day get to wear it on her wedding day. Then she died and he promised he would give it to the girl who promised to love him forever. It was such a huge honor to get something that meant so much to him and his family. She couldn't wait for their public proposal at the Capitol.

It was their ingenious plan to stop the Uprisings. They would act as though they were growing closer and closer at each district. Then, right in front of President Snow and the rest of Panem, Nate was going to get down on one knee and tell her just how much he loved her. She was going to burst into a flurry of tears and make a big display of saying yes. They just had to survive the other districts first.

"What if somebody finds out?" Sophie questioned softly. She didn't want anybody to hear. That would be too damaging to their chances. They couldn't be together without President Snow's approval. They had to do everything to stop the Uprisings just so she could get permission to leave District One.

"Don't worry about it," Nate winked, "We'll be fine. Let me do all of the talking and you just admire my good looks."

Sophie rolled her eyes at that statement. She had forgotten how much of a smug bastard he could be at times. If she didn't love him so much she would hit him upside the head in front of everybody including President Snow. He was very lucky she loved him, even if he was adorable whenever he smiled.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked instead because she could always make his life miserable later. She was going to enjoy that privilege too.

"Don't say anything unless you have to," Nate ordered sternly. There was seriousness and worry all over his face. He wanted to protect her too much.

"I have to say something though," she argued immediately, "You're not the one he doubts. If I don't say something he may think I'm still using you and that the Uprisings are happening because I'm not convincing enough."

"Okay, but I get to take the heat for anything bad thrown our way," he said.

Sophie just rolled her eyes at his need to protect her. That was the only trait of his she absolutely despised. Of course, that was probably because it got them into trouble every time he did it. It was also what saved her life in the arena so she wasn't going to argue with his plan.

"Deal," she cried. She even held out her hand to shake on it.

Nate stared at it for a few minutes before a devilish smile formed on his lips. The next thing she knew he was pulling her towards him and their lips were melding together. It really wasn't fair that he could make her heart swoon like that.

The rest of the day sucked. They were thrust out in front of the entirety of District Eleven as if they were worthy of being praised. They had been responsible for Thresh's death out of vengeance for Maggie and in their blind rage forgotten the crucial point of the games. It was like kicking a sick puppy dying of disease and malnourishment. It didn't make sense and everybody felt awful. Then it was suddenly time for the speeches. Nate had done his job and taken care of business by speaking the speech written for him perfectly. All Sophie had to do was do the same. And she did. She took her time reading every word with heartfelt victory as every other champion had done. She thanked the district for their sacrifice and promised that their tributes would not be forgotten. Then she made the mistake of looking towards the families.

Thresh's family stared at them with disdain and anger. They were heartbroken that the two champions of the games were saying nothing about their child's sacrifice. They were angry at the careless way the champions spoke of their son's death, a death that occurred at their hands. The little girl's family just looked bereft and joyless. Thresh's family looked ready to make the champions suffer.

"I'm sorry," Sophie spoke into the microphone before she could stop herself, "I'm so sorry you lost your children. I'm sorry you don't get to see them again or hear their laughter. I'm sorry I took your son's life. I'm sorry I couldn't stop the death of your daughter. I wish they hadn't died and I am sorry I am responsible for Thresh's death. I don't take any pleasure in it and I want you to know that I will never forget what they both did in their final moments. I'm just so sorry."

"And we'll do whatever we can to help you through your loss," Nate promised. He had somehow managed to stand by her side without her noticing. It was a relief because the girl had no idea what she was going to say next. She just wished she could do more than feel sorry for them.

"Including saying that children shouldn't die for entertainment."

Sophie turned towards her fiancé in complete surprise of his bold thought. How could he guarantee such a prize to his victim? That was the most wonderful thing in the world he could have ever done. He really was her knight in shining armor, the bastard.

Then this tiny miracle of miracles happened. An old man towards the back suddenly whistled out four notes. It was the same four notes they used to communicate during the games. The man's hand slowly raised high above the crowd with three fingers in the air. It was the symbol of District Twelve and it was waving high for all to see. Even the rest of the district raised their hand three finger high. It was a spectacle to see.

The Peace Keepers went into action immediately. They ushered the two champions into the Justice Building as swiftly as possible. Sophie had suddenly realized she had forgotten her ceremonial wreath. She turned back quickly to get it. Unfortunately that was when she noticed the old man who had given them a salute was on the stage. The Peace Keepers of District Eleven immediately pulled a gun against his head and fired it off.

Sophie nearly screamed at the horrible deed. She turned around and tried to race away, but strong arms suddenly enveloped her. She wanted to struggle but the smell of alcohol and the forest filled her nostrils.

"It's alright," Nate whispered into her ear, "I'm here."

The District One champion nodded her head and snuggled deeper into his comforting arms. She tried not to cry at the horrendous way the Peace Keepers acted. She just wanted to leave as quickly as possible. She was done with the stupid victory tour that was nothing to be proud of. She wanted to go home and stay in Nate's arms forever. But she couldn't do that without finishing the tour and stopping the Uprisings. They were off to a horrible start.

"Come on," Nate tugged her away from the heinous crime, "Let's go get something to eat."

Sophie just nodded her head stayed as close to him as possible. She didn't even have the strength to tell him she wasn't hungry anymore. She had an odd feeling that she wasn't the only one, but they had to pretend. They caused too much trouble already.

%

The rest of the Victory Tour was spent doing nothing but reading the scripts written for them. They made no move to look away from their little pieces of paper. All they did was stick to the script and play the two champion lovers just like President Snow wanted them to.

Sophie's stomach curled at the distraught looks of horror on the families' faces. Every district had the exact same thing when it came to that. Each family had a mother crying out for a child that would never come home. Each family had a father grinding his teeth and sending daggers the champions' way every chance they could get. The siblings were always staring at the ground and pretending they weren't upset. Nobody looked happy at their child's sacrifice and why should they? It was for entertainment and President Snow's enjoyment. It wasn't a choice they had; it was a curse.

"Hey," Nate's voice interrupted her painful, hateful thoughts, "We're almost to District One."

Sophie smiled at the excitement in the boy's tone. She could almost feel his nervous energy in her own heart it was so strong. She could understand it too. She couldn't wait to show him off to her mother and father. She was absolutely ecstatic about what her siblings would think about her real life champion. She knew they would find him just as enchanting as she did.

Thankfully train stopped the moment they both acknowledged the excitement before them. Sophie grabbed his hand and began to rise. She wanted off the train as soon as possible. Her father was waiting for them on the platform and waving frantically for their attention. She would not disappoint, but there was a tiny pressure pulling her back down into the seat. The girl looked towards her fiancée in question.

"I think I see your father," Nate explained. There was redness starting to blossom on his cheeks and his eyes twitching wildly. His hand was clasping onto hers tightly and still couldn't stop shaking. The poor boy was nervous.

"He'll love you just as much as I do," Sophie promised immediately. She couldn't have him thinking he wasn't worthy of her. She needed him by her side for the rest of their lives.

"What if he doesn't?" He whispered, "What if your family thinks I'm just some trash that…?"

She quickly put her hand on his thigh and squeezed tight, "They won't. They'll love you because I love you and they know I wouldn't have ever survived if you weren't very smart. You saved me."

Nate stared at her. The look on his face said it all. He was about to argue with her about the saving part. She knew it. He believed he was the root of all evil and doom for anybody he loved. Of course he was going to argue with her about the fact that he saved her in ways she never thoughts possible.

"Don't argue," she ordered briskly, "It's pointless. You saved me the exact same way I saved you. Now, stop sitting here and acting like a scared little baby. It's about time you met the rest of your family because I want you to know where I came from."

Nate's mouth just slowly formed into a cheeky grin. His eyes glowed with love and adoration. Sophie gulped at the lights shining in his eyes. He really did love her enough to take her at her word. That was both a scary and amazingly wonderful fact about their relationship.

"Come on," she smiled happily, "Let's go say hi to daddy."

She tugged him up from his seat and pulled him through the door. They raced through the cars and out onto the bright golden platform of District One. Then Sophie raced towards her father as quickly as possible. She hugged the man close to her chest and couldn't help but smile wider at the circumstances for which she was there.

"Hi, Daddy," she chimed.

"Sophie," her father said, smiling all the while, "You look beautiful."

Sophie turned towards Nate and pulled him towards her father immediately. She suddenly felt very nervous for a reason she couldn't understand.

"This is Nate," she said.

Nate just smiled nervously and scratched the back of his head. Then he extended his right hand, "Hello Mr. Devereaux."

"Hello Nathan," her father smiled, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Sophie has done nothing but talk about you for the past six months. Thank you for saving her in that arena."

"No," Nate laughed. Then he looked at the young woman standing beside him.

"She saved me," he said.

Her father smiled and moved him towards the Justice Building with a new pep in his step. Apparently he approved. That was a relief she was glad to have. Now, there was the little matter of the rest of the family.

%

Nate stared at the door nervously.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked.

Sophie just rolled her eyes and nodded her head. Then she knocked on the door and smiled serenely.

"You're the devil," he sneered her way. It was true and they both knew it. Meeting her family was scary enough. Her mother was a sweet woman who had little to no grey hairs and looked almost exactly like Sophie except for the fact that she had blonde hair and green eyes. Apparently Sophie got her hair and her eyes from her father. He was a trader from one of the poorer districts. His job allowed him to marry someone out of his district and they had a lot of kids. Three boys and four girls, and Sophie was the oldest. They were an interesting bunch, but this was worse. Now it was time for her to meet Parker and Jimmy.

Thankfully fate was kinder than his fiancé. It was a tiny little blonde thirteen year old girl who answered the door.

"Hi Nate," Parker grinned from ear to ear. Then she took note of the beautiful brunette standing beside him and jumped. The blonde Seam girl clung to the District One champion as if she had known her all of her life. It was like she was greeting Adrianne instead of a stranger.

"Sophie, you're here," Parker blabbered still clinging to the older girl as if life depended on it, "Jimmy, she's here!"

"Parker," Nate ground his teeth together in irritation. Sure enough his father was standing in the door way staring at the brunette with wide eyes.

"Let her breathe, Parker," he said.

The blonde Seam girl immediately jumped away from the District One champion. She smiled brightly at the older girl and tried her hardest not to stand too close. She quickly sniffed her and grinned wider. Then she winked at Nate and gave him a reassuring nod.

"I like her," she declared. Then she grabbed the older girl's hand and dragged her towards the victory hut. She brought her right in front of Jimmy and waved her hands as if Sophie was on display.

"This is Sophie," Parker smiled, "Sophie, this is Jimmy. He's Nate's dad. He's actually really nice when he doesn't drink but he's working on the drinking problem."

Sophie politely extended her right hand and smiled softly at Parker's behavior. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Ford," she said.

Jimmy returned the girl's smile and took her offered hand shake. "It's nice to meet you as well, Sophie. Come on in. I'm sure Parker will give you the tour."

"I would like that," Sophie laughed, "but Nate promised to introduce me to Maggie's family before I got a tour of your home."

"I'll take you," Parker cheered. She didn't even give the champion time to argue. She took Sophie's hand and immediately started heading towards the bakery with a pep in her step.

Nate watched his girls go with a smile on his face. He knew Parker would love her just as much as he did. There was just the matter of Jimmy Ford's opinion.

"I'll catch up," he called. Then he turned his attention to his father and tried not to squirm under the scrutiny.

"She's pretty," Jimmy began, "I can understand why you would fight so hard to protect her."

"She's the nicest person I know," Nate defended promptly. He couldn't help it. He felt like Jimmy was insulting his fiancé. He wouldn't stand for that at all. Sophie deserved so much more than what Jimmy Ford was giving her.

"She has to be in order to win Parker over so easily," Jimmy winked, "She's a good choice, son. Just don't get your hopes up too soon. There's always President Snow's opinion that you have to deal with first."

"Has he called again?" Nate asked. Fear was starting to bubble up and down his chest. The last thing he needed was President Snow upsetting Sophie and Parker.

"He'll be meeting you at the Capitol to congratulate you personally," he said, "I have a feeling it's to inform you of everything you did wrong."

Nate nodded. That was exactly what he was afraid of. He was going to have to work extra hard to smooth things over at the Capitol. That proposal was going to have to be spectacular to get them out of their mess. It probably still wouldn't be enough.

%

"Nate, guess what Sophie just did!" Parker's voice shouted through the air.

The District Twelve champion turned towards the road into town in shock. His conversation with Jimmy had gone on longer than expected. They had both just talked about Sophie and everything that happened between them in the arena. Jimmy was actually enjoying it too. It was obvious that he approved of Sophie and it was unexpectedly good to know. The hard part was going to be tearing Parker away from the girl when it came time to leave.

The two had gotten quite attached to each other during their tour of District Twelve. They had gotten so close that Nate had to give Sophie permission to tell the girl about their secret proposal. It ended up in his favor two because Parker immediately agreed to wear a dress and keep their secret for them. She even zipped and locked her lips just to prove she was going to keep it until she didn't anymore. Then she immediately started asking questions about how he was going to propose in front of the Capitol and if he had Sophie's father's permission. For the record, he did get the blessing.

"She told Maggie's family that she was going to give them a portion of her winnings every year for the rest of their lives so they would never have to worry about money or losing another child ever again!" Parker grinned. She was both impressed and highly excited about it. The poor thing didn't realize how horrible a deed that really was.

"I'm sorry," Sophie sputtered out sadly, "I couldn't help it. They were thanking me for taking care of her and avenging her and I just blurted it out. I'm so sorry."

Nate shook his head and pulled her into a soft hug. "Don't apologize for being wonderful," he said.

"I noticed the news report when Parker gave me a tour of the Justice Building," Sophie continued to whimper into his chest. "There were more uprisings today."

Nate's heart dropped at that. It was the absolute worst thing in the world to hear. They hadn't managed to stop the uprisings. If anything, they had only given more ammo for the rebels to use. President Snow was going to be very angry when they returned to the Capitol.

"What are we going to do?" Sophie questioned earnestly. She jumped from his arms and began pacing up and down the bedroom floor, twisting her fingers every step. She was nervous now.

"He's not going to let us get married, Nate."

Nate felt his upper lip curl in frustration of the factual way she said those words. She was right. They had done nothing to stop the Uprisings from continuing. Her silly little stunt with Maggie's family was definitely going to be a factor. Plus, everybody in District Eleven gave a salute for her apology towards the loss of their twelve year old tribute. Snow was not going to take those lightly. There was only one thing they could do.

"Then we'll get married without his permission," he said.

Sophie stared at him with wide, blank eyes. "What do you mean?" She shook her head in shock of the idea, "WE can't do that!"

"We're in District Twelve," Nate shrugged at the amazingness of the whole plan, "I know a priest willing to perform the ceremony. We could do it right now if you want."

"You want to get married today?" Sophie asked her mouth agape at the whole thing.

"Yes," Nate nodded eagerly at that fantastic idea, "Yeah. We can get married at the Justice Building and wait for the Quarter Quell to finish. We'll ask President Snow for permission then when the heat dies down."

Sophie tilted her head to the left and her nose crinkled. Her eyes narrowed at the thought of their situation. She wasn't too positive of the plan.

"But only if you want to," he finished, "we don't have to if you don't want to. I just don't want to lose you because of something we have no control over."

"Let's do it."

Nate stared at the girl in complete and utter shock. His heart was pounding happily and he could hear his blood rushing in his ears. It was like he was winning all of the Hunger Games that had ever been in one go.

And that's how he ended up standing side by side with Paul. They were both in a deserted room of the Justice Building. It was a room that the Mayor said they could use for resting. Everybody else in the district was partying so they weren't going to get caught. It was the perfect time to get married. Plus, they would get to have a honeymoon in the Capitol before they would separate for the Quarter Quell.

Parker suddenly marched through the door in a dress. It was Adrianne's blue dress, the one she wore for his Reaping. Only this time her hair was in two braids at either side of her head. Her blue eyes were popping out and the smile on her face was of both pure happiness and mischief. She was going to be the witness of the event.

Then Sophie appeared and everything else disappeared. She was wearing her hair in a way where half of it was in a braid and the rest was cascading down her body in waves. She wore an emerald green dress and the biggest smile Nate had ever seen. Her lips were cherry red and her eyes sparkled at what they were about to do. She truly was the most beautiful woman in the world and he was officially the luckiest champion to ever survive the Hunger Games.

Paul cleared his throat and Nate immediately turned towards him in shock. He had forgotten his friend was even there.

"Dearly beloved…" Paul started in his official voice. Everything else he said disappeared as Nate concentrated on the beautiful woman in front of him. They were finally doing it. They were finally getting married. After months and weeks and days of waiting, they were finally moving another step closer to forever. He was going to be able to wake up with her in his arms forever.

"Nate, it's your turn!" Parker shouted at him with scorn on her face. She seemed quite perturbed. Of course, everybody was staring at him in surprise that he was so silent. Well, Sophie just smiled shyly because she knew exactly what was going through his mind.

"I do," Nate rolled his eyes at his two best friends. He would have thought that answer was obvious. He suggested getting married in the Justice Building and all.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Paul announced with a humble smile, "You may now kiss the bride."

Sophie closed her eyes and leaned forward. Nate took the hint and immediately went into action. He slammed his mouth against hers and felt like forever had finally arrived. Well, he felt complete anyway.

_Well,_ Nate thought as their lips met into a fierce and fiery kiss_, at least President Snow didn't get to tell them they couldn't._


	3. Discoveries and Announcements

"Why did I let her go?"

That was the question that had been plaguing Nathan Ford's mind ever since his return from the Capitol. The proposal had been a success, of course, but their theory on the uprisings had been correct. President Snow had made certain to inform them that their victory tour was a failure in stopping them and then he turned around and announced to the whole of Panem that he would sponsor the wedding. How that was going to happen without biting Nate and Sophie in the bottom later was anybody's guess.

There were a few good things about the trip to the Capitol though. He was officially married to Sophie and they spent every waking moment together, including a few sleeping ones. He got to tote her around and dance her everywhere without worrying about anybody trying to kill them. It was nice to actually be with the District One champion without the constant threat of violence and death wreaking havoc upon their lives.

Then he had to say good-bye. This time he didn't get to leave the train as intended. No, he had to say good-bye to his new bride right before they stopped at the train station. It was the worst thing in the world to watch as the young woman was taken away from him without even being able to have a backwards glance. The ring around her finger was the only sign that she belonged to another and all of Panem knew not to touch her. That was the only true conciliation prize.

So, Nate decided to fill his days with hunting. Unfortunately he only went hunting while Parker was away at school. It wasn't exactly on purpose or anything. Okay, so it was on purpose but it was because they had gotten a new Peace Keeper leader who decided to slaughter people who had the guts to trade anything with a feather. Yeah, he was a gift from President Snow.

Today was a hunt filled with nothing but thoughts. The game seemed to have disappeared and Nate was doing nothing but thinking. He should have brought himself a book or something equally taxing. There was nothing else for him to do. So, he decided to head home a little early to make Parker something special. The girl was very depressed that Sophie couldn't stay with them until after the Quarter Quell. She deserved something special.

The young man quickly gathered up and stashed away his trusty bow and arrows. He straightened his messy clothes. He took his last looks around the forest before he went back under the broken electric fence. That was when he saw it. There was a puff of smoke pouring out of the woods. It looked oddly straight-lined to be a normal campfire. It was also outside the perimeter of the fence which meant it was going to attract some trouble. An investigation was in order.

Nate walked the long, hard game trail as quickly as possible. He wandered past ponds and clearings. He even managed to find a few rare birch trees still in existence outside of the fence. He followed the direction of the smoke all the way until he finally found the source. There was an old cabin mysteriously sitting there on the hill. It was surprisingly still standing and looked newer than what it should have. It did not look anywhere near fifty let alone seventy-five years old. That was odd.

"Hold it right there," a voice ordered from somewhere near the left of the young man. The voice sounded like a middle-aged woman, someone his father's age at least. It held some urgency but it also seemed to carry force. Then there was a very distinctive click.

Nate turned towards his left with both hands raised high in the air. His blue eyes were wide with fright and all thoughts going through his head were of his soon-to-be-widowed bride. The woman before him was indeed the age of his father. Her dark black hair was lightly streaked with gray. Her skin was brownish-black and she had dark black eyes to match. She was wearing a traveling cloak in a light green to help camouflage her from any unfriendly eyes. She had a Peace Keeper gun in her hands and a fiery glint in her eye. She was going to shoot if he gave her any reason to.

"Please," he said, "I don't mean any harm. I just saw the smoke and wanted to see-"

"I know you," the woman said. Her eyes suddenly went wide and she dropped the gun to the ground. A smile appeared on her face as she peered closer at the young man. "You're Nathan Ford."

Nate stared at the woman in complete confusion. Was she for real? There had to be some weird joke going on or something. That was just an odd expression to have towards a stranger.

"What?" He asked.

"It's okay," she said reaching into her satchel and pulling out a brown cloth. She quickly unwrapped the cloth until it showed the biscuit inside. It was a drop biscuit to be specific, Sophie's favorite, and on top of it was an image of the mockingjay.

"We're on your side."

Nate cocked his head to the side and stared at her. "What do you mean we?" He asked.

"Nana," a tiny voice called from within the cabin, "Who is it?"

"It's alright, Alec," the woman, Nana, called out; "He's a friend."

Then the crazy woman pulled Nate into the cabin. The District Twelve champion didn't even have time to fight or protest. Nana just took him inside the cabin as if he were an old relative or something. They went right through the wooden door and entered into the cabin.

It was a beautiful cabin. It had dark red wooden floors and walls of gray and black stone. There were very few windows but the few they had were of actual glass instead of the usual plastic. The chimney was bright red brick and blazing with a fire in its hearth. That was when Nathan Ford took notice of the tiny form curled in front of it.

The boy was at the very least Parker's age and just as dark in skin color as his grandmother. His frame was a little too skinny for anybody's liking and his clothing sagged because of it. There was a small tree branch lying on the floor beside him and he wore a boot a few sizes too big on his left foot. The boot was taped to him and looked like it fit him at an odd angle. It looked broken in all honesty.

"He tripped during our escape and twisted his ankle severely," the woman said softly, "He didn't inform me of it until it was already far worse than it should have been."

"How can I help?" Nate demanded immediately. He had no idea where that came from but he knew that was what he needed to do. He had to help the group however they could. They were his responsibility for a reason he wasn't even sure of. He just knew they trusted him. That seemed to be all he needed to know.

"There's nothing you can do," Nana said, "I've already done all that I can. We just need to rest here for a few days."

"Then you should stop that fire before somebody notices it," Nate said, "The new head Peace Keeper would proudly place both of your heads on a stick just to prove to President Snow that he was willing to do anything for him. We don't need that do we, Alec?"

"I prefer to go by my last name, thank you," the boy squeaked, "And I'm not a kid! You don't have to talk to me like one."

"Alec!"

Nate held up his hand to silence the woman's reprimand. A smile cracked upon his lips for the first time since Sophie's departure. He couldn't help but laugh at the way the boy was behaving. He was so much braver than Nate could ever hope to be.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I'm not used to talking to a lot of people. What's your last name so I don't offend you again?"

"Hardison," the kid growled. He seemed to have more wary eyes than his grandmother. His amber brown eyes were full of distrust and suspicion. He had great survival instincts.

"Hardison," Nate nodded, "It's nice to meet you, Hardison. Now, let's get rid of that fire before all Hell breaks loose."

Hardison covered his mouth with both hands and his eyes shot wide in surprise. He looked towards his Nana with worry. Nate scrunched his eyebrows together and tried to decipher the odd behavior.

"What?" He asked.

"You swore," Hardison explained softly. Then he broke out into a big, bright beaming smile. "That's so cool!"

"Alec Hardison, don't you dare get any ideas from this young man, here," Nana ordered swiftly, "He is a man and is allowed to say such degrading, manly words. You sir are not."

"Yes, mam," Hardison nodded diligently. But the smile refused to leave his face and he was now looking at the champion with awe. Nate had just won himself a new ally.

"How many provisions do you guys have left?" Nate demanded of the pair immediately. He looked towards the older woman with caring eyes. He knew which one of them was in charge and he was not going to challenge that decision.

"We'll be out of food by the end of tomorrow," Nana reported immediately, "We ran out of water three hours ago. I was out looking for it when you showed up."

"Okay," Nate nodded his head. He started towards the door and almost missed the bizarre looks of horror on the other's faces.

"What?" he asked.

"Where are you going?" Hardison growled. He was upset again. That kid had some serious teenage angst going on. It was a good thing he was running away from his district. The arena would wipe that fire out of him in seconds flat.

"I'm getting you water," Nate stared at the two of them in shock, "Then I'm going to stay here and listen to your story."

That's exactly what he did too. He rushed out of that cabin in search of water. He came back with plenty of that and a rabbit. He then picked their brains about everything he could. He discovered that they were from District Three and left during the biggest uprising there. Apparently several people died in the fight and they were using his mockingjay baked into Sophie's drop biscuits as an identifier for those who were fighting in the rebellion. Then the good stuff was spilt.

"We're heading to District Thirteen," Nana said. She and Hardison were smiling like wicked children. It was like the idea of the desolate district was something worth celebrating.

"District Thirteen was destroyed," Nate stated automatically, "It's on the news all the time. The radiation is still too high for us to do anything about it. Why would you head there?"

"Because they just want us to think that District Thirteen was destroyed in the war," Hardison said, "But that's wrong."

"At least there's a rumor that it still exists," Nana finished.

Nate blinked at that. How could anybody think that when they were shown the destroyed ruins every year?

"How is that possible?" He asked instead. He figured Sophie would be very disappointed if she found out he was rude to some nice supporting strangers.

"You know how every year they show us that video of a reporter visiting the ruins of District Thirteen?" Hardison questioned immediately. Nate nodded his head immediately. Of course he remembered that video. That was how he knew the district was ruined. That was how everybody knew it was ruined. He even thought about that beforehand.

"Well, in the upper right hand corner of the Justice Building in that video there is a mockingjay sitting on the roof. It takes off into flight right before the video ends."

"Okay," Nate was following so far.

"That's it," Nana smiled at the boy, "That's how you know it's a fake."

"What do you mean?"

"It's the same image every time," Hardison said, "Every time, Nate! It's always within the last few minutes before they go back to the announcers of the Hunger Games. Every time!"

"But that's impossible," Nate said, "If that were true then they wouldn't show it every year."

"That's why they change the reporters all the time," Nana said, "They don't want anybody to figure it out."

"Watch the news footage tonight, Nate," Hardison begged softly, "If we're wrong, you don't have to help us out. Just watch the video."

So Nate did as asked. That night, after making Parker the best Katniss dinner he could come up with, he watched the news. He waited and waited for the footage to appear. Then he kept his eyes glued to the television throughout the report of District Thirteen's current radiation rate. He paid careful attention to the top right hand corner of the demolished Justice Building. Sure enough, there was a mockingjay taking flight in the last few moments of the footage before it switched. There was a chance that the escapees of District Three were right. So, the news was the only thing playing for the rest of the night. Every time District Thirteen came up, Nate made careful note of the mockingjay. It took flight at the exact same time in the exact same way for the exact same amount of moments every time. It was true. District Thirteen had to still be alive.

%

"You're right!" Nate said. He barged into the abandoned cabin with a big turkey in his hands. He handed the bird off to Nana and quickly handed a bundle of biscuits to Hardison before plopping himself down for a rest on the floor. He was wearing a sappy grin on his face and nothing could make him frown.

"You saw the footage," Hardison grinned excitedly. He was digging into the biscuits with relief shining in his eyes. They had obviously rationed their food off far more than probably should have.

"Yeah, and I'm going to give you whatever you need to get to District Thirteen," Nate nodded his head.

"We just need food and something to carry more water in," Nana said. She was busy plucking the turkey and preparing it for their grand feast.

"You've got it," Nate said.

He spent the rest of his week helping them get ready for their journey in any way he could. He got them better clothes to wear. He got them water skins that would keep them for miles. He even taught Hardison how to hunt and fish so they would be able to collect their food quickly. Then he put together a whole bunch of netting and created a walking cast for the boy to wear to heal and function. It was the best thing he could do while he was waiting on his phone calls with Sophie.

"Thank you, Nathan," Nana said shaking his hand vigorously. She and Alec were saying good-bye. They had successfully avoided capture and were moving one step closer to their freedom. It was an exciting day indeed.

"Thanks for letting me know there's a way out," Nate said. He meant it too. He finally had something worthwhile to look forward to. His future with Sophie no longer relied solely on President Snow. No, their freedom was now in their hands and the Quarter Quell was going to be how they hatched their plan. They were going to take their families and run towards the safety of District Thirteen. They were going to be free and it was all because of two random strangers that just appeared out of nowhere.

"You be careful now," Hardison ordered his new friend, "There was a rumor traveling around that President Snow was going to make you and Sophie regret what you did during your games last year."

"We'll be prepared for it," Nate nodded at the friendly warning, "Now get out of here. You've got a long journey ahead of you. You shouldn't be wasting it talking to me."

"You're a good man, Nathan," Nana replied, "You deserve every ounce of happiness Heaven blesses upon you."

"Thank you and be safe," Nate winked. He watched as they disappeared into the woods before he went into action. He immediately raced towards the fence at full speed. He couldn't wait to tell Sophie about his wonderful news. They were going to have a chance to be free.

Nate approached the fence at top speed and suddenly came to an immediate stop. Something wasn't right. The fence was making noise. The electric fence was on for the first time without a major television event. The boy cursed his luck. How could he have been so stupid? Of course, the Peace Keepers were watching his every move. They were probably waiting for him to make this mistake all week. And now he was going to have to find a way to get in there. Sophie was going to call.

They had planned it perfectly. Sophie would call at six o'clock on every Friday night. Sure they would call each other whenever and however often they wanted to but Friday night was a specified time every time. President Snow must have had the Peace Keepers tap his phone. He was a complete idiot. They had been waiting for him to make a mistake like this for a long time. He should have known better and now he was stuck. He had to come up with a way over that fence and get home in time for that phone call or he was screwed.

Nate looked around for any way over the stupid fence of evil. The only thing that had even the slightest chance of being a successful way out was the giant oak tree. It had a branch that extended over the tree with a pretty steep drop. He was going to need his bow and arrows.

The champion of District Twelve climbed as high as possible until he was successfully on the branch. He tied the little bit of rope he had left to one of his arrows. He looked around for a place to sink his arrow into for safety. It took him awhile. It took him so much longer than what he wanted it to. But he found it. It was a roof to an old building that had used to be a big herb store before the Peace Keepers shut it down. It's roof was still intact and was the perfect place to land on. The only trick would be to get across without any of the patrolling Peace Keepers noticing.

Nate shot his arrow the moment one of his foes passed by. Then he waited to see what the guy's reaction would be. Thankfully he didn't seem to notice so it was time for the hard part. The young man carefully hid away his bow and arrows and braced himself on the rope. He carefully rose to his full height and placed his right foot forward. Then he moved his left foot and was completely without the support of the tree. Now was the fun part. The young man slowly worked his way over the rope as carefully as possible. He held his breath every time some person walked underneath him. He tried his hardest to ignore the horrifying buzzing of the electric fence immediately below him. One wrong step and he was done for in too many ways to think about. So he kept his thoughts on Sophie and the fact that she was doomed if he didn't answer the phone on time.

It was with a shaky but happy breath that Nathan Ford touched down on the old thatched roof. After the quick celebratory dance, he took out the arrow and allowed the rope to fall towards the fence. He waited and watched as the string fried and sizzled into nothing within the fence's capable hands. He turned around, took a step towards the middle and the roof collapsed.

%

Parker was happily chatting away on the phone when Nate actually entered through the door. Her wide smile grew even bigger at his emergence through the door.

"Okay he's here," Parker said. Then she held out the phone with a cool bounce to her step and impatiently waved it.

"It's Sophie."

Nate rolled his eyes and snatched the phone away. As if he didn't know it was Sophie Devereaux (Ford) calling him. Although, she was a good half hour early. That was odd.

"Hey," he spoke into the phone.

"Hi," a wonderful, silvery voice chimed.

"Do you have any idea how wonderful it is to hear your voice right now?" He said.

He was ignoring the curious looks his father and Parker were giving him. Well, Jimmy was a bit easier to ignore than Parker. The thirteen year old was sniffing and squinting around him.

"Nate smells like rotted wood and fire," she commented into the phone.

"What? Why do you smell like rotted wood and fire, Nate?"

Nate glared at his little adopted sister who he was going to kill as soon as he got off the phone. Now Sophie was going to get all worried about him and not explain why she was calling a whole half hour earlier than usual.

"Why did you call early?" He asked.

"And then you… what?" Sophie said. He had apparently interrupted her mid-rant. Hey, their marriage was off to a beautiful beginning.

"I asked why you called earlier than usual. It's five thirty."

"Oh," she said, "I have a fitting at six thirty so I figured it was a good idea to call you early so we could actually have time to catch up. How was your day?"

Nate ignored the tiny voice in his head telling him to come clean about his fabulous idea to run away to District Thirteen to be together forever. Instead he kept mindful consideration for the fact that his phone was most definitely tapped by the Capitol and he couldn't talk about such disrespectful deceit.

"I was just checking out the old herb house to see if I could bring it back for you when you finally get to live here," he said.

"I take it that the roof wasn't up to par then," she chuckled.

"Yeah," he grinned wide at that, "Apparently the roof was rotting towards the middle. Oh well, I burnt the mess to root out the other bad business areas. It's going to take a whole lot of work but I think we can manage it."

"Do you really think President Snow is going to let us do this?"

Nate swallowed at the lie that was about to fall from his lips. He hated what he was about to do. But he had no choice in the matter. His phone was no longer a safe place for them to speak. He had to lie. It was the only way.

"Yeah, Soph. He's going to let us get married. Of course he is. What's a better way to say that Panem is stronger united than divided then a wedding?"

"Okay," Sophie giggled, "I'm supposed to be trying on dresses tonight. I think they're going to have you try on some tuxes for our wedding later on. They say the Capitol is going to vote on which one I will wear to our wedding."

Nate grinned at that tiny statement. He was picturing the way she looked in that beautiful green dress of hers. He could almost feel the way the fabric slid through his fingers. It had been so soft. It was almost as soft as her beautiful skin.

"Well I look forward to what the Capitol deems you worthy of wearing," he lied.

%

True to his wife's word, a camera crew and several crates of tuxedoes were at his door before he even had time to take Parker to school. So she stayed home and helped him out however she could. There was nothing but pins and needles going up and down the young man's arm. His little adventure the day before was starting to take effect on his bones and muscles. Everything was sore as he tried on outfit after outfit. Even his cheeks were sore from the amount of smiling he had to do for the cameras. It was just like being back in the arena, only you weren't about to get shanked every five minutes.

Tara noticed the subtle changes within his mood. Honestly she would considering how well she knew him. Everybody else probably noticed the bruises crawling up and down his kin but she was the only one who said anything.

"Those aren't marks of fight like you want us to believe they are," she said. She was trying to figure out how to put on an overcoat that looked like a pineapple with wheels.

"I never said I got into a fight," Nate remarked defensively. He couldn't help it. He was absolutely miserable and explaining himself was on the bottom of the list of things for him to do.

"True but you're a champion which means people believe you're strong and get into fights quite often from the jealousy," Tara twittered. There was only a small hint of irony in her voice. That was probably because the Peace Keepers were right outside the door.

"I was testing out the roof of an old herb center in town and the roof collapsed under my feet," he replied. He hated lying to Tara but he had no choice. He had to protect himself in order to ensure Sophie's safety. Any mistakes on his end would only hurt her. He had to think of his wife now.

"That explains the bruises," she said. Then she quickly placed down the weird dress shirt and came over. She grabbed his hands as gently as possible. She pointed at the red bumps along the inside of his palm with calculating eyes. Her voice was whisper soft when she finally decided to speak again. "But that wasn't how you got the burns."

"I'll explain everything when it's safe," Nate promised. He didn't know when that would be but he knew it would be a while from now. It gave him time to get rid of President Snow's suspicious eyes.

She just nodded her hand and promptly picked up the most grotesque green thing in the world.

"Alright," she said, "Let's get this cumberbum on you."

%

Nate stared at the phone with red eyes and sore muscles. Sophie didn't call at her usual time. She hadn't even called the next two days to apologize over it. He, of course, feared the worst and spent most of his waking moments calling her or trying to. Not once did he get through. Her mother or her father would answer the phone and say she wasn't able to come to the phone. He would have accepted that answer if their voices didn't always carry a touch of worry every time they spoke about her. They were keeping something from him and he needed to know what it was. He had to know if his wife was alright. So he dialed the number again.

"Yes, Mr. Devereaux I know I just called this morning but I need to talk to Sophie."

He drummed his fingers nervously on the table as he listened to the other side of the conversation. It was the same answer yet again.

"Yes, I know she's not able to come to the phone right now but I want to know why. What's wrong? Is she hurt? Is she sick? Did something happen to her?"

"She's just not feeling well," Mr. Devereaux said, "Try again tomorrow, Nate."

So he would. Every day for the past two weeks, almost three because it was the twenty-third hour of the Thursday before she stopped calling. He called every day, sometimes nights too. He always got the same answer though. He never got anything new just that she wasn't feeling well. He was nervous now.

He hadn't left his spot by the phone for the past five days in fear that she would call and he would miss it. He had plenty of false alarms but never the voice he wanted. He was a desperate man waiting on a phone call out of town because he couldn't take the train. He was also dead dog tired after spending seventy-two hours straight waiting by the phone. Okay, so he caught a few z's here or there but nothing substantial. His eyes were heavy and he couldn't concentrate properly. Everything around him was going in and out of focus. His brain felt fuzzy and his whole body hurt. So he just closed his eyes for a minute and slowly, fitfully drifted off.

_He was running through the arena's forest at top speed, trying to get away as quickly as possible. Carnivorous mutts of the giant dog variety were chasing him, each wearing the face of a fallen tribute during their game. Their game, Nate stopped suddenly at that horrendous thought. In the panic of getting away from the dogs he had lost sight of Sophie. How could he have lost sight of Sophie?_

_A piercing scream filled the air at that moment. The scream was definitely female._

"_Sophie!" Nate called out. His feet were already running towards the source of noise without even stopping to think about it. They knew where they were going and the District Twelve champion was only too happy to let them. He had to get to his wife, before it was too late._

"_Nate!" Sophie suddenly popped up out of nowhere. There was a beaming smile on her face at the sight of him. He couldn't help but feel relief at her appearance. He had been so sure that the scream belonged to her. He was so glad he was wrong._

_Then his beautiful wife turned wickedly pale and convulsed onto the floor. Nate rushed towards her with fear in his heart but it was already too late. The dogs were on her in seconds flat, each one joyously tearing at her beautiful flesh. Blood and green silk were flying throughout the air in wicked waves of despair. A bell in the distance called off but the champion couldn't move. He was just sinking lower and lower as the dogs continued to rip his wife to shreds. The bell howling in tune with their barks as the thirst for blood was finally quenched._

Nate's blue eyes popped open and his entire form jumped out of the uncomfortable chair in horror. Sweat and tears were falling from his face and his heart was beating three paces too fast. He was still in his office waiting on the telephone, the ringing telephone.

"Sophie!" He answered abruptly. He didn't even care if he was right at the moment. Anything was better than the image he had just seen. Anything was better than watching his girl die.

"Nate, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to call."

The District Twelve champion nearly knocked his chair over in exhilaration at the voice of his wife on the other end of the line. She was alive and well. At least she sounded well. Her voice was a little too weak for comfort. It sounded like she had several weeks of restless sleep too. That was extremely worrying.

"What's wrong?" He demanded immediately, "Sophie, what have they done to you? Is it President Snow? Did he hurt you? Did he say something to threaten your family because I will do anything to keep you guys safe, I promise!"

"No, Nate it's not that," she said her voice still sounding weak to his ears, "I've just been very sick for the past few weeks. It's nothing just the flu. The doctor says I should be fine in a couple of days. It's nothing to worry about. I just couldn't answer the phone when you called. My parents wouldn't let me and I begged but I would pass out before I even got finished ranting. I'm feeling much better now."

"So President Snow hasn't hurt you in any way?" He asked, "You're fine. It's just the flu and not some type of poison?"

"It's just the flu, Nate."

Nate sighed in relief and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Weeks of waiting had finally paid off. He could hear her voice again. He honestly couldn't wait until they were allowed to be together again. He wouldn't have to wait two weeks to find out what was wrong. He would be able to take care of his wife and know what was going on immediately. He hated waiting.

"I'm glad you're alright," he said.

"If you miss me so much you should watch the news tonight. I hear that they're going to present my dresses. You should watch and phone in your vote so you can see your favorite dress on me as I walk down the aisle."

"I like the sounds of that," he smiled, "You in a bunch of dresses. That should be entertaining."

"I heard a rumor from the doctor that they were going to announce something about the Quarter Quell after," she said, "You should check with Parker to see if that's true."

"I remember hearing Parker tell me that we had to watch television tonight."

"I'm sorry but I've got to go, Nate. I'm really tired."

"Then you better go to bed and focus on getting better."

"Okay," she laughed, "Good night, Nate. I love you."

"I love you too, Soph," he said. He waited until he was certain the dial tone was blaring in his ear before he finally hung up the phone.

"God, I love you," he finished.

That night's festivities saw Jimmy Ford hopelessly stuck watching the fashion show and drinking his spirits heavily. He had to endure the comments of Parker and Nate throughout the entire affair. Anytime he put in his two cents, he got a glare from both children. They were both big Sophie Devereaux fans and he was forced to put up with it. Nate loved the frustration he was causing his father. It gave him a little bit of sick satisfaction that he could cause that. After everything that had happened between them, he deserved to watch his father suffer.

Jimmy moved to change the channel as soon as the last dress was finished, but Nate stopped him with a raised hand. Then Parker stopped the argument from continuing.

"My teacher told me that we have to watch until the very end of the fashion show because President Snow requested it," she said. Then the little snot stuck out her tongue in triumph of the news.

Jimmy's scowl deepened and he turned to the saving grace of his newest bottle of spirits. This one had only gotten half-full since the evening began. His drinking was improving.

"Stay tuned as President Snow makes an announcement about the third Quarter Quell tonight for all to see," Caesar Flickerman winked towards the audience. Then the screen immediately moved to the familiar opening arena of the games.

President Snow took the podium in his usual, disgusting way. He looked around the presentation arena with a look of triumph all over his face. His shoulders were set back with confidence and bliss. His dark blood red suit shimmered with grace and chaos. His entire appearance seemed to suggest victory. If that wasn't bad news…

The president raised his hands high in the air to silence his adoring fans. Then the bastard began his speech.

"Hello, Panem," he said, "and thank you for still watching."

Parker huffed at the president's statement. "As if we have a choice," she said.

Nate couldn't help but agree with the statement. He was just on high alert all of a sudden. His entire body was bracing itself for something horrible. There was something, something in the pit of his stomach telling him that something bad was about to happen. Something bad was about to happen to Sophie and the rest of Panem. He just knew his beloved wife was in trouble.

"It is once again time to announce the theme of this year's Quarter Quell," President Snow announced proudly, the smile on his face seemed to be growing wider and wider with every passing minute. "Yes, another twenty-five years has passed over Panem without us even noticing. Let us mark this special occasion with a moment of cheers for all our victors."

The crowd immediately erupted into a series of shouts and yippee's throughout the Capitol. Men, women and children were all cheering on while images of the last twenty-five years of victors flashed on the silver screens. Nate and Sophie were naturally the last images to appear before the screens once again returned to that of President Snow and his favorite podium.

"On the first Quarter Quell to remind the districts that it was their fault for the Great War against the Capitol, each district had to pick who would represent them for that year's games," he said.

Nate scowled at that information and tried very hard not to think about what it must have been like to choose the children who would be slaughtered in the games. The poor kids must have felt like they were worthless to their district too. That was probably how Sophie felt when nobody volunteered to take her place during their Reaping.

"On the second Quarter Quell to prove that lives were lost on both sides during the war, each district had to provide twice the number of tributes for that year's games," President Snow informed the group at large.

That was the year Haymitch had won. Nate shivered at the thought of facing forty-seven of his peers. He and Sophie would have never survived such an ordeal. They probably wouldn't have found each other either. That was not a good thought.

"On the third Quarter Quell," President Snow began in great and grand voice. As he spoke, a box of golden envelopes suddenly appeared on stage. Each envelope was labeled with a specific number for each of the Quarter Quells and what would happen during each one. The numbers went all the way to one hundred which meant the guy who planned it expected there to be several Quarter Quells in the future. What a future that would be indeed.

Snow selected the envelope for the third Quarter Quell. There was pride and presentation on his face as he showed the envelope to all of Panem. There was even mischief in his eyes. Then he opened the envelope slowly.

"On the third Quarter Quell," he repeated grandly pulling out the golden note inside and reading aloud, "In remembrance of the fact that even the strongest among you cannot overthrow the Capitol, this year's Reaping shall be of those who have already won."

Then the screen went black and all was quiet within the house.

Nate stared at the black screen and tried his best to ignore his father's worried looks. The strongest among you will be chosen for the Reaping. Why did that simple statement cause him so much trouble to figure out? What did that mean? And then he knew.

"Sophie and I are going back into the arena."


	4. The Reaping Day

**A/N:** _Sorry this took so long but I've got to write and read for all of my classes. I'm really going to make it up to you this weekend. Enjoy guys and thanks for sticking with me. If you get too impatient for a chapter just send me a review saying so. Enjoy!_

Jimmy stared at the boy with nothing more than a crushed look about him. His eyes were suddenly red and his fingers were shaking with effort. He looked like he was about to blow.

"You don't have to go in there with her boy!" He hollered, "You still have a chance! Hell, maybe she won't even be selected and if she is that doesn't matter because somebody's going to volunteer! She's just a girl anyway. It's not like she's your whole life!"

"She's my wife," Nate said. His voice was calm as he stared his father directly in the eyes. He had somehow managed to get over his shock enough to stand at his full height. It was the first time he had ever dared to look his father in the eyes. It was a highly disturbing experience.

Jimmy's eyes grew wide with fright at that damaging announcement. His head began to shake from side to side in horrified fury. He was about to explode.

"Tell me it isn't true!" He begged, "Tell me you didn't do it, Nathan!"

"Don't hit him," Parker begged. The tiny little Seam girl placed herself in between the two Ford men and shook her head.

"Please don't hurt him, Jimmy," she said, "We didn't tell you because it was supposed to be a secret."

"Oh Nathan," Jimmy growled, "What have you done? Do you have any idea what's going to happen now?"

"This was President Snow's plan the whole time," Nate shouted back, "Of course I know that! You think I'm not aware of just how sick this is! You're probably going to be the one who's reaped anyway."

"You're not going into that arena, Nathan!"

"She's my wife and there isn't a damn thing you can do to stop me!"

"You're just a child! You have no idea what love is and now you've gone and broken far more than the law by marrying the first girl you've ever really fancied. And what's worse? She's from another district which makes it even more illegal!"

"She loves me and I love her!"

"You are just a…"

"That's enough!" Nate shouted at his father at the top of his voice. He stood straight in front of his father and invaded his personal space without another care in the world. His face was full of rage and he knew he overstepped his boundaries, but he didn't care. He was right and his father was wrong.

"Dad," Nate said pausing at the foreign title on his tongue, "She's the only person in the world I love more than life itself. And she loves me. She's my wife and I am going to do everything in my power to protect her and get her out of that arena, especially if it's at the cost of my own life."

"You know they're going to reap Parker, right?" A scratchy but familiar voice cried out.

Nate and his father turned towards their neighbor in confusion. Haymitch Abernathy was standing in the doorway with a knowing look on his face. There was a fresh bottle of white spirits in his right hand and a half-empty one in his left. He was clearly preparing for the absolute worst. He probably even suspected the outcome long before it happened.

Nate immediately sagged at the harsh reality of the truth. It was very true. District Twelve had no female champions to reap from. That most definitely meant they were going to reap from the champion's families and since Parker was the only female member of all of District Twelve's champions, she was guaranteed to compete. Things just got worse than originally anticipated.

"It's alright, Nate," Parker replied softly, "I want to go into that arena. My family's going in there anyway. I might as well get in on the action. Plus, the blood is probably twenty times cooler up close right there in front of your eyes."

"Blood is never cool, Parker," Haymitch rolled his eyes. Nate assumed that was because he had forgotten how odd the Seam girl was.

"So what exactly is your plan for this, Nathan?" Jimmy demanded irritably. He plopped himself into his favorite chair and rubbed at his temples. He was clearly not having a very good day. First he had to endure watching two hours' worth of watching a fashion show. Then he found out his only living relative and child was going to the Hunger Games arena for a second time. Oh, and his son was married and had no plans of returning. Yeah, it was no surprise that he immediately joined Haymitch in drowning his sorrow.

"We're going to do everything in our power to get Sophie and Parker home," Nate replied. There was nothing but pure determination in his voice. He really sounded confident in his words. Sadly the exact opposite case was true for the turmoil boiling in his heart. How was he going to make certain his new bride and his little sister got out of the arena without dying? There was absolutely no way the Capitol would allow two tributes to win again, especially since President Snow had Seneca Crane hanged in private for doing that just the year before.

"Don't worry, Nate," Parker said patting him on the back in some odd show of warm affection, "We'll pull this off."

Nate just nodded his head with a sad smile slowly growing on his face. He knew better than to allow himself to be fooled. His father was busy drowning his sorrows with his only true friend. His wife was going into the arena no matter what anybody said or did to prevent. His sister was dead and the blonde girl he adopted was about to join her. On the plus side, he at least knew he was about to die.

%

"I've got something to tell you," Nathan informed his mentor without missing a step.

He and Parker were working on long distance running at the moment. They had spent all morning lifting heavy objects while Haymitch and Jimmy nursed their hangovers. They were going to be careers this year. That was their strategy. They were going to work their butts off and get into more than fit shape so they could do battle whenever it was possible.

"What is it?" Haymitch demanded. He was still a little drunk.

"District Thirteen's still alive," Nate said.

Haymitch's expression was something to behold. His eyes were the only thing to move and all they did was grow wide. Other than that it was as if the young man's statement meant nothing at all. He just shrugged his shoulders and motioned his young mentee on.

"You already knew that," Nate realized his voice softer than a whisper, "didn't you?"

"Tell me everything you know," Haymitch ordered.

And he did. Nate told him about meeting Nana and Hardison. He told him about the reports of uprisings throughout most of the districts. He even told him about the theory's he heard about District Thirteen being underground and patiently waiting for runaways to stop by. The proof was obvious when you watched the video, the one with the mockingjay in the upper right hand corner.

"I'm going to ask Sophie to run away with me," Nate finished. His mouth was set in a firm line of determination.

"You're not that stupid," Haymitch rolled his eyes, "First off you can't do that over the phone or you'll get the both of you killed. Second you've got Parker and your father to think about and the girl's family. Clearly you haven't been thinking this through."

"Just confirming my doubts," Nate said sighing in relief that somebody was validating his decision to stay. He had been debating the pros and cons of it after the Quarter Quell was announced. It took him weeks to finalize the realization that he was stuck.

"I take it Parker is aware," Haymitch growled. He took a big swig of his bottle of spirits and enjoyed it.

"Who do you think championed the run away to District Thirteen idea?" He replied with a sad smirk. Yeah, he was going to die.

"Well thank goodness you have no choice but to compete in the games then," Haymitch said. He polished off his bottle of spirits and then pointed to his house. "Let's go share a drink."

"Can't," Nate said, "I'm in training."

"To die," Haymitch pointed out slowly, "You're training to die."

"I'm training to save my wife and our little sister," Nate corrected smiling sadly all the while, "That's everything to fight for with me."

"Your father is not going to be very happy with winding up with your widow," Haymitch commented slowly, "Do you have any idea how hard it's going to be to stop him from committing suicide?"

"Let him do whatever he wants," Nate suggested boldly, "He's earned the right to have that after Adrianne and our mother. I just hope he lets me do this."

"Are you really that determined to throw your life away for some girl? You barely even know her!"

"You weren't in that arena! You don't know her like I do! You don't know exactly what happened in there!"

"I know more than you think, boy!" Haymitch snarled.

"She killed James for me," Nate pointed out softly, "She avenged Maggie with me. She had several chances to kill me including the very first night we were together. She chose not to. She chose me! That's something worth fighting for."

"Keep that in mind when she stabs you in the back in the arena," Haymitch said snarkily as he tried his hardest to keep his anger in check. Mentally he probably understood the boy's thoughts towards the girl but he definitely didn't understand why Nate was so willing to die for her. Proof the Capitol didn't show just how intelligent Sophie Devereaux (Ford) really was in that arena.

"She was badmouthing the Capitol the entire time we were there," Nate defended solidly, "I think that's why they're going to go after her this time around."

"She was the one who stopped you from committing suicide during those games," Haymitch nodded at the statement. His eyes showed how much he was thinking about the words his charge said.

"That's how I know I'm going into that arena to save her," Nate finished.

"Nate!" Parker called off. She was running towards the pair as if she hadn't been doing it all day. It was literally like she had only been taking a leisurely stroll before this. Her hair was barely even plaited to her face.

"Jimmy wants to talk to you before you guys strategize what we're going to do when Reaping Day comes," she said.

"I've got to call Sophie," Nate whined immediately. He hated having to talk to his father about anything. "But I owe him so let's get this over with."

"Okay," Parker said smiling at his answer and immediately taking his hand to walk over with him. Then she lowered her voice making it as soft as possible that even Nate had to struggle just to hear what she's saying. "Did you tell Haymitch about our plans to run away to District Thirteen?"

"Yeah, Parker," Nate smiled sadly at the hope in her voice, "He says it's a no go."

Parker pouted at the sad statement. She kicked away at her feet and tried her hardest not to sniffle a bit at the dash of hope going away. Then she took a deep breath and began skipping towards their house doors.

"At least we have a back-up plan," she said.

Nate entered through his front door and nearly fell backwards at what he saw. His father was sitting at the table with nothing but several papers and a scrawling pencil. The fresh bottle of spirits he had removed from the cupboard that very morning seemed almost completely full. His father actually looked alert for the first time in ages and it was shocking to see. It was definitely worth walking into.

"Ah Nathan," Jimmy smiled at his son beckoning him over with one hand, "I've got a question for you. Take a look at this plan and tell me if you think you can do that."

"What is it?" Nate asked looking at the indicated slab of paper in interest. It was a sketch of a circle with little labels to indicate where each member of their team needed to be.

"It's my guess at what the arena will be," Jimmy replied, "Of course I obviously don't know exactly what it's going to be but I've been watching the videos of the past games and came up with things they might do specifically for the Quarter Quell."

"That's smart," Nate nodded at the idea taking in each and every sketch while he could, "That's actually really brilliant, Dad. Thanks for that."

"Well, I figured since you're so adamant to go into that arena I might as well come up with a plan to make certain that daughter-in-law of mine got out alive," Jimmy said. His face was a perfect poker face but the fire blazing in his blue eyes showed his anger at the fact that his son was not returning this time around.

"Okay," Nate nodded ignoring the glare as much as he could, "What do you need me to tell you? These seem pretty good as far as strategy goes. I like the idea that we act like Careers until we actually get in the arena most."

"Alright that's what we'll do," Jimmy agreed. He sat forward in his chair and immediately began knocking out all of the scenarios that required them to fight for their own survival right off. He then put up each of the scenarios that involved them acting like Careers until the arena to the front of the line. They were going to have a lot of work to do when it came time to inform Sophie of their plans. The fear of bugs prevented Nate from saying anything over the phone to his new bride. It was probably the only thing keeping her alive during the games too.

"Is she worth?" He asked after a few minutes.

Nate stared at his father in complete and utter shock of the question. When it came to Sophie his father tried his hardest to avoid the subject. Jimmy Ford wanted absolutely nothing to do with Sophie Ford before, after and during the wedding ceremony. Nathan secretly believed he was actually impressed with the girl but that was wishful thinking. So he just took a deep breath and answered his father as honestly as possible.

"She's worth everything."

%

"Hi, Nate," Sophie's small voice whimpered over the phone.

Nate frowned at the broken horror in her voice. His heart was hammering with worry at the tone of her silvery voice. His stomach twisted and turned, curling in disgust and horror at the pain in her voice. Even his palms began to be sweaty in his nervousness of her voice.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Why do you think something's wrong?" She asked, her voice did this little squeak thing that showed she was trying her absolute hardest to make her voice sound cheerful.

"Have you been having bad dreams again?"

This time he got a laugh. It was painful and pathetic but it was a laugh. That had to be enough for now.

"No more than usual," she said, "It's mostly just me worrying about you."

"I'm going to protect you however I can, Sophie."

He meant it too. He had more than just several plans to save his wife. He was going to get her out of there just to prove to the Capitol they couldn't have her. He was going to be the target for this year's games. He was going to be the one President Snow associated the rebellion with. He was going to convince all of Panem that he was the face of it. He would protect her at all times from any danger. That was probably why she was so upset.

"Please don't volunteer to go into that arena," she said her voice dripping with absolute dread, "Let Haymitch or your father go in your stead. Please, just stay out of the arena. I'll die if I lose you."

"I have no choice," Nate chimed, "Parker's going into the arena. I have to."

"Can't you count on your father to bring her home?" She whined tears were evident in her voice the way she was trying so hard to breathe. It was horrible to listen to. "He loves her just as much as you do."

"She's my responsibility," he said, "Adrianne told me to protect her at whatever lengths necessary. I have to, Soph."

"Don't you dare!" Her voice was harsh and filled to the brim with frustrated anger, "You're just going in there on the off chance that I get picked. There's no guarantee, Nate!"

"You spent the entirety of the games earning my trust by denouncing them! I am not going to allow you to go into that arena unprotected. They're going to choose you to go in there, Soph."

"District One has plenty of victors, Nate! There's no guarantee that I will be chosen! You can't just volunteer on a whim! That's exactly what they want! They want you to go into that arena and fight to the death. That's good television! They want you to die, Nate."

"Well I can't take the chance of losing you or Parker so I guess they're going to get exactly what they want," Nate shouted into the phone. His voice was so loud it was shaking the whole house. Jimmy and Parker were each staring at him with two very different levels of shock and confusion on their faces.

"Fine, die! See if I care! I hope you die in the first five seconds of the bloody thing and I hope it's as slow as possible! I hope it's Eliot Spencer who kills you!"

Then the line went dead.

Nate stared at the phone in complete betrayal. He was so angry he didn't know what to do. The turmoil of emotions bellowing in his belly were moving up towards his heart at irritatingly high speeds. His breath was heavy and he was shaking from head to toe.

"Nate?" Parker asked softly her eyes switching between him and the phone in wide-eyed horror.

That was what finally pushed him over the edge. He slammed the phone into the receiver and growled.

"Fine! She wants to do that, fine! I don't care! I'm going into that arena and I am going to make certain she wins."

He took a deep breath and ignored the way his father's eyebrows rose high in amusement. At least Sophie earned some credit with him.

"Dammit!" Nate hollered before he rushed out of his home without even a backwards glance. He had some work he had to do if he was going to get her stubborn butt out of that arena. He needed to go hunting again.

%

Nathan woke up with an ache in his head and blonde hair in his eyes. He kindly swept Parker's hair away and gave her a gentle squeeze. Today was Reaping Day and the absolute worst day of his life. Again. He slowly sat up and immediately got himself ready for the day's festivities. He hadn't talked to Sophie since their big fight over the phone. It had been exactly one week, four hours, twenty-nine minutes, and thirty-seven point five seconds. He had not been counting. That was what Parker was for.

Nathan groaned as every muscle in his body ached from last night's training session. They had spent all day lifting and running. Parker was officially able to climb up anything and disappear into the world without ever being noticed. He was stronger and faster than he had been for his last set of games. They were prepared to be the big fish of the games and they were going to win. They just had to figure out how to get Sophie in on the plan without having another huge fight with her. Yeah, that wasn't going to go over well.

"Nate?" Parker's tiny voice questioned from the bed.

Nate turned around and took in the scared little girl lying in his bed. It was the first time he actually saw her as the little girl she was instead of the young woman she was growing up to be. She looked so tiny and innocent. She was so small in the big bed it was swallowing her hole. Today was going to be her last day if things went the way they thought it would.

"Happy Reaping Day, Parker," he said.

She smiled sadly, "Happy Reaping Day, Nate."

They walked to the circle outside of the Justice Building together in a tiny huddle of champions and family. The entire town looked at them with a mixture of sorrow and relief. The sorrow was that they were going to lose some crucial members of their District. The relief was for the fact that they had another year with all of their children. Bitter sweet didn't even describe the tension shimmering throughout the District.

Parker looked so lonely standing in her designated area. Nate wanted nothing more than to stand beside her and hold on tight while they waited for Effie Trinket to begin her usual spiel. The problem was that they had to wait and suffer through President Snow announcing the Quarter Quell and the rules in the event that a district had no surviving tribute to be reaped. District Twelve seemed to be the only district that didn't have a former champion tribute. That was definitely why the rules were made.

It took Effie forever just to catch the tiny little note that read off Parker's name. She was almost in tears when she actually got around to reading off the Seam girl's name. Parker did a good job of acting as if she had been doing it for years. She got up on that stage and defiantly stared into the cameras like the brave little girl she was.

Then Effie announced Jimmy's name for the male tributes of the Quarter Quell. Nate just shouted that he was volunteering before Jimmy or Haymitch could even think of destroying his plans. The glares he received were answer enough to how they felt about what he had done. Their strategy of hoping his name was drawn was gone. So Nate joined Parker on stage and quickly grabbed her hand. He raised it high into the air and joined her in defiantly smiling into the cameras. They looked like a united front against the Capitol exactly as planned.

They were rushed off onto the train without even getting to say good-bye to anybody. Nate thought that was a shame considering he was going to use that as his final good-bye to Paul. Oh well that was that and they were on their way to the Capitol. They were on their way to the games. He was on his way to death. They immediately watched a recap of the games just to see if by some miracle Sophie had managed to get herself out of trouble.

"Sophie Devereaux," was announced in front of everyone. Sophie hadn't even been able to step forward before the shouts of volunteers filled the air. It was all in futility though.

"I'm sorry," the announcer said, "the rules clearly state that for any victor who was not volunteered in a Career district they must compete."

The boos and complaints filling the air as Sophie bravely took the stage did not cloud out the way she looked on that stage. Nate noticed how bent over she was. She looked so weighed down and pale. She was so pale, too pale. It was horrible how sickly she looked to all of Panem. The most heart-breaking part was the tiny tear falling down her cheek. President Snow wouldn't be very happy about that airing live for all to see.

Nate raced through the train cars in search of his bride. The rule was that the tributes weren't allowed to associate with each other until they were in the arena. Nobody seemed to be enforcing that though. It was probably because everybody knew each other already so why divide? The alliances had probably been made long before the reaping was even announced.

"Nate?" Sophie's voice squeaked from behind.

The youngest champion immediately twirled around in relief. His eyes connected with hers and immediately raced towards her for a passionate embrace. He was stopped, but not by his beloved's hand. Nate's eyebrows creased in worry and surprise. He looked deeply into Sophie's eyes and noticed guilt and sadness there. He looked down and drew in a deep, hesitant breath.

"I didn't know how to tell you," she explained sadly.

Nate said absolutely nothing as he stared unusual sight. He just grabbed his girl's hand and rushed towards the District Twelve train car at top speed. He pounded through the door of the car and watched as everybody in the room turned towards him. Jimmy was the first to notice the other person in the room and the nervous look on his son's face.

"What's the problem?" He asked seeing the way the two were exchanging such worried startled looks.

Nate pulled his new bride forward and into the light for all to see. He pointed at her growing belly and searched for a nice way to say his next sentence. Instead he just stuck with the truth.

"She's pregnant."


	5. Time to Train

**A/N:** _Sorry this took so long to update. I've been busy, but I've got a four day weekend coming up so you should be getting more updates soon._

Sophie opened her eyes and almost screamed at the sight of her whereabouts. She was back in her room in the Capitol, destined to compete again in the games. Almost everything in that room was exactly the way she had left it the last time she was there. This time though, there were two other people in the bed.

The District One tribute stared at the blonde hair flickering into her face. Then she turned her head to her right just to confirm her theory. Yep, Nate was right there peacefully sleeping and clinging to her as if in fear he would never see her again. Sophie decided to ignore the little twinge of despair at the truth behind that very thought.

Instead she turned her head to the left and discovered the source of the blonde hair. Parker was curled up into her side sleeping like a baby. Her blond wisps were arranged around in a halo while the blanket was bunched up every which way around her. Apparently she liked to move in her sleep.

Sophie smiled at the image of her two favorite people. No wonder she hadn't had any nightmares during the night. Her champion and sister-in-law were fighting them off for her. Now if she could only figure out how to get to the bathroom without waking them.

"Good morning," Nate's voice huskily whispered into her ear.

Sophie turned towards him with a blinding smile. Then she felt Parker waking on her left.

"Is it time to go to training already?" The Seam girl asked. She sounded like she was about to fall asleep again.

"Not yet, Parker," Sophie said patting the girl's cheek affectionately, "I just need to go to the bathroom."

"Is there something wrong with the baby?" Parker asked. Her eyes were now fully open with interest in what was going on. Apparently the girl wasn't sure what happened when someone was pregnant.

"I just have to use the bathroom, Parker. There's nothing wrong with the baby, I promise."

"But you'll be right back, right?" the little girl demanded again. Then she opened her blue-grey eyes wide and stuck out her bottom lip in emphasis.

"Of course she'll be back," Nate rolled his eyes at the girl, "Let her go to the bathroom, Parker."

Then he ruffled the girl's blond locks and tucked her into the bed as if he belonged there. Well, he technically did so it made sense that he was so comfortable. Sophie watched the two with a firm smile on her happy face. Then her heart ached at the fact that this was going to be one of their last days together as a family.

When Sophie reemerged it was to the sight of her design team shooing Parker and Nate away.

"Stop," Sophie called. She didn't want Nate and Parker to go so soon. She wanted them to stay with her for as long as possible. She didn't want to say good-bye.

"It's alright, Soph," Nate smiled, "Parker and I will be right back as soon as our costumes are taken care of. I promise."

Sophie felt her bottom lip tremble at his statement, but she nodded anyway. They would be back and that was all that mattered.

The prep team seemed a bit less chatty than they had been when they had visited her in District One. Each of them was somber and on the verge of tears. In fact, Flavius was sticking himself with a pin to keep from crying while Venia just burst into tears every five seconds. It got to the point where Sophie had to physically restrain herself in order to keep from killing the woman. William, her stylist, seemed to be the only one who could hold it together. His face was completely void of emotion and Sophie was grateful for it.

"Mind the baby while you're in training," he instructed her carefully, "The outfit I've given you should hide the bump in your stomach. What is your plan for today?"

"Stick with Nate and Parker and learn everything I can about what we might be facing in the arena," Sophie answered softly.

She was distracted by her puffy cheeks. They looked so out of place without the baby bump visible. It looked as if she had lost the baby or something equally tragic. It was disturbing to say the least.

"Good stick to that strategy," William replied, "And when it comes time for you to go before the game makers try to do something that will distract them from your belly. They won't give you a good enough score if they think you're too distracted to compete. You need the sponsors."

"I know," Sophie nodded.

She remembered the night before. William had been so furious with her. At first she actually thought it was because she had done something wrong. Then he pulled her against him and held on tight as he told her about his plans to hide the baby. They needed to hide the baby until game day. As long as nobody knew about the baby she would get several sponsors. They had a plan. Protect the baby from the Gamemakers and President Snow. A last minute announcement was exactly what they needed. The Gamemakers wouldn't have time to set up a daring trap good enough to insure she miscarried.

"The dress you made me last night made me look like a goddess," Sophie said hugging her favorite designer close.

"They wanted me to expose as much skin as possible," William replied, "but I explained to them that your childish features needed to be simple in order to win the crowd. I was right and proved it last night."

"I'll make certain the risk pulls off successfully," Sophie promised.

William turned her to face him. He held her cheeks in between his hands and gently squeezed.

"Just win the Quarter Quell," he said, "Prove President Snow and the rest of the Capitol wrong. Prove that there is something more powerful than what we know. Prove that love really will conquer all."

"I will."

%

The training session was boring to say the least. Only a small handful of the previous champions even bothered to come and train for the Quarter Quell. Sophie kept her promise and stayed with Nate and Parker.

"How are we supposed to defeat Eliot Spencer?" Parker demanded of the couple in confusion.

Her blue-grey eyes were glued to the District Four champion and his grand display with swords. He was currently thrusting them into five dummies all at once, each one being stabbed in the heart. His long hair was joining his body in spinning around and around while the swords glimmered and stuck wherever pointed. He was a hurricane of swords and hair against each of the filleted dummies. He was more than prepared for the games.

"I don't know, Parker," Nate groaned. His eyes were watching the sight as well. There was nothing but concern and distaste in his every step. He was strategizing very carefully.

"We should probably get in good with Mags," Sophie suggested quietly.

While the others' eyes were on the brute force of District Four, hers were on the one who volunteered. Aimee Martin had been reaped from the pool of champions to compete in the games but the eighty year old volunteered in her place. Mags was currently working on her knots over at the netting station. That was where they would have to go to win Spencer as an ally.

"Let's go work on knots," Sophie proposed. Then she stepped out from in between her escorts and promptly started working her way there.

She smiled when she felt Parker and Nate hurriedly standing at her side moments later. Neither was out of breath from the quick run and they were making a stink-eye to anyone who seemed to question their actions. Apparently they were going to be her bodyguards throughout the entirety of the games then.

"Be nice," Sophie warned, "We want to actually have allies while we're competing in the games."

Parker just pouted out her lip and tried to make a smile. Instead she only succeeded in looking like a dog bearing her teeth. She then wrapped her arms around Sophie's and refused to let go. It would have been obvious to anybody who looked that she was keeping her friend alive.

Nate didn't even bother to act nice. He sent a glare towards every single person in the arena who dared to look. Then he smiled and waved as if he hadn't done anything at all. His eyes were carefully calculating everything in the room. He was deciding on the greatest threats and the best allies. He was already in the arena and ready to protect her to the end.

"Hello," Sophie called.

She sat herself down right beside the older woman and immediately watched her careful fingers. The woman's string was slowly forming a perfect hook for fishing. In fact, she was working on a net full of hooks and other fishing needs.

"Fine," Mags said smiling up at her.

She was missing a few teeth and there was a scar above her mouth. Half of her face didn't seem to move the way it was supposed to. She must have suffered from a stroke or something because the next words out of her mouth were nothing but garble. Sophie couldn't even figure out what most of it meant. She simply just smiled and nodded her head.

Mags spoke another few words of garble but this time she pointed. She was commenting on Sophie's knots. They weren't strong enough which was bad. At least that was what Sophie got from the speech. Her knots were improving with Mags' instructions. She was a keeper.

"Thank you," Sophie purred.

She was learning how to make a noose now. She had successfully figured out how to make hooks and nets with Mags help. Then she learned how to make rope for climbing. Nate and Parker even helped her with snares. The noose was proving to be her difficult task though. Then a pair of arms was wrapped around her, helping her.

"You've got to tie the knots tighter if you want that to do anything useful," the voice belonging to the arms replied.

Sophie looked up into deep blue-green eyes. Eliot Spencer was there with his bulky arms helping her perfect knot tying. His long hair tickled her cheeks he was so close.

"Okay," she said. She watched his fingers carefully and then immediately repeated his instructions perfectly.

"There you go," Eliot nodded, "You're a fast learner. That's a good trait to have in the games."

"It's one of the reasons we won them in the first place," Nate said.

He was smiling towards the other man but it was not a nice one. It was devilish and full of jealousy. His blue eyes were watching the District Four champion like a hawk. He was glaring holes into his head and everything. Not a good way to make friends at all.

"I watched your games," Eliot nodded. He was smiling as well and his was just as unfriendly. "If it wasn't for your girlfriend here, you'd be dead right now. Thankfully she's got a cooler head and a good shot."

"I taught her how to shoot the bow," Nate snarled towards him. Well, that certainly wasn't going to help matters in the least.

"Let's go see what we can learn from the plant station," Sophie proposed calmly.

She knew why Nate was acting so alpha male. He was trying to protect their secret. Plus Eliot Spencer was a well-known heart-throb throughout Panem. Women, and to a lesser extent men, were known to throw themselves at his feet for anything and everything. He was the closest thing to most eligible bachelor there was for the champions of the Hunger Games. He also used that power to his advantage every year. Many of the tributes for District Four made it to the semi-finals because of his good looks. It was a strategy that worked well.

"I'll join you guys," Eliot said winking in her direction.

Nate was practically growling at that. Judging by the way he was smiling, Eliot did that on purpose. Parker seemed to be alright with him though. Well, she was studying his muscles.

"Do you ever experience moments where your ankles or knees just give out for no reason in particular?" She asked.

And apparently looking for weak points. Great, both of her allies were doing absolutely the wrong things to make a good alliance. Yeah, Sophie was pretty much the only one who was going to get them the sponsors and weapons needed for the arena. She was three months pregnant and officially in charge of charming Panem. Hopefully her hormones would remain in agreement with that plan.

"So what use is that big mossy thing?" Nate asked.

He was pointing to the grey plant that looked like a big thing of moss. That was definitely something not found in District One.

"I don't know," Sophie shrugged.

"Oh, it's something we use for healing and washing at District Four," Eliot said, "It's very absorbent and protects from infection. That's a very useful plant."

And Eliot Spencer just won the right to be one of their allies. He was smiling towards her with pearly white teeth and patting her on the back gently. Then there was Nate and Parker.

Nate was grinding his teeth together and smiling just as hard as the District Four champion. His hands were balling into fists and he was turning red. Parker, for her part, was scowling towards the other man. She was looking between Eliot and Nate like there was a fire about to start. She would quickly bear her teeth towards Eliot and hide behind Nate. Great, they were both jealous of the same thing. They were never going to get allies at this rate.

"Maybe you should show off your arrow skills, Nate," Sophie suggested towards her husband.

The look of betrayal on his face though almost had her backing out. He just nodded his head in disappointment and took off. He tested out the first arrow on the bow and missed the target completely. Then he took a deep breath, snitched another bow and let it loose. The arrow hit the heart with a soft thunk.

Nate smiled at his handy work and immediately started to make things challenging. He did flips, jumps and leaps before firing. He did from over the shoulder, under the shoulder and backwards. Everything he tried always hit the heart. His aim never wavered and every eye was on him.

Sophie smiled at that. Every single person seemed more and more impressed every time. Everybody could see his assets when it came to choosing an ally. Now Parker was the only one left they had to see. That was going to be tricky.

"Parker," Sophie turned towards the girl, "You think you could show off your skills to everybody?"

"Nate told me to keep an eye on you while he fired off a few rounds," Parker explained.

Sophie rolled her eyes at that. "I'll be fine," she said, "Go show people what they'll be getting when they choose us as allies."

"But…"

"Go, Parker!"

The blonde Seam girl glared at her sister-in-law before she made her way to the climbing station. She climbed up, down and everywhere without stopping. Then she skipped over to the knotting station and showed off her snares. She flipped from station to station with a wide smile on her face. Everybody watched and stared at the tiny girl. She was the youngest competitor and she still had more skill than at least half of them. Well, the half of the champions that actually came to training that is.

%

"So," Haymitch decided to start simple when they came back. "How did training go?"

"Half of the tributes didn't even bother to come to training and those that did, stuck to one station most of the time," Parker reported dutifully.

Nate just rolled his eyes at the Seam girl's answer. Then he pulled out a chair for his wife to sit in. Sophie just smiled at the gesture and gratefully sat down. Hiding the baby was getting harder and harder the longer they stayed in the training room. She was tired all the time and left at least five times just to go to the bathroom. There was no way they were going to hide that from the Gamemakers.

"Well obviously you guys did something right because I have tons of people demanding to have you all as their allies," Jimmy grinned at them.

He quickly poured a glass of milk and set it before the pregnant woman. She smiled at the gesture and immediately took him up on the offer.

"All Nate did was shoot some arrows," Parker said, "I just climbed everywhere and everybody was already interested in claiming Sophie as an ally. She just spent all day working on knots and learning about the plants that might be in the arena."

"I want Mags as an ally," Sophie declared, milk mustache shimmering around her smiling face.

"Done," Nate said. He was enjoying the fact that she was actually smiling. Plus he wasn't going to deny her anything until the games began. That was kind of sad.

"What's next?" Parker asked softly.

"Tomorrow will be the day you each have your individual challenges with the Gamemakers," Haymitch informed them.

"Which means you each have to think of something that is going to distract them from any possible challenges Sophie could face," Jimmy finished.

"I'll make something up when I get there," Sophie promised, yawning all the while.

"Bed time," Nate said.

He quickly pulled his wife up out of the chair and escorted her out. Parker dutifully followed them with a few groans. She continued to explain why she wasn't the least bit sleepy and didn't have to go to bed. She was asleep the moment she hit the bed while Sophie and Nate cuddled close together.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid," Sophie ordered softly.

Her head was on Nate's shoulder while he was stroking her growing belly with his right hand. There was a smile of contentment on her face and butterflies moving up and down her body. His left hand was flittering through her hair. His lips were constantly planting kisses on her cheek whenever he felt the need.

"I promise I will do whatever it takes to make sure you get out of that arena alive," he said.

"Just promise me you'll do what you can to get out too," Sophie whimpered. She didn't want to lose him now after everything they had been through. She wanted to keep him forever. He promised her forever.

"I can't do that," he said, "You know that. But I can promise you that our kid will never want for anything. My father is already making plans to join you in District One. That's all I can do."

"I love you," Sophie cried.

Nate smiled at that. Then he kissed her on the top of her head and pulled her closer to his chest.

"I love you too."

%

Sophie's palms were a shaky, wet mess while she was waiting to enter her training session for the Gamemakers. William's outfit for her had a pouch in the sweat shirt so her baby bump wouldn't be noticed. The baby, on the other hand, was making her nauseous and doing several flips in her stomach. Nate was doing everything to help her. He was giving her a back massage and telling her tales about world's they had yet to discover. Parker was just talking about plans on distracting the Gamemakers more.

Like what had happened during training day, most of the tributes didn't even bother to show up. Well, they showed up but they weren't really interested in being serious competitors. Most of them were either high or drunk.

Sophie looked towards her secret husband with worry. At least their chances were better than best, but the ones who were very serious were the best for a reason.

"Sophie Devereaux," one of the peace keepers called.

Sophie gulped at the sound of her name. She stood up and started to go over. Then Nate's hand was pulling her back.

"Good luck," he whispered on her lips. Then he sealed the deal with a kiss and let her go.

Sophie smiled and immediately entered the training room. It was polished and all set for everything. She looked around deciding what she could do. Then she noticed the ropes and knew what she would do. She was going to give Nate and Parker a fighting chance. She was going to show the Gamemakers exactly what she thought of the Quarter Quell.

The District One champion raced towards the ropes and made her selection very carefully. Then she proceeded to find a dummy. She was all set to set up her evil plan when she noticed something weird about the Gamemakers.

There was a shiny spot towards the bottom left hand corner of their observation area. They were all too busy talking and drinking to even pay attention to it. It was like they had no idea what it was. So Sophie decided to test her theory. She found a hook and threw it towards the Gamemakers. The hook sizzled against and invisible shield and bounced back. Ooh, force fields had weak points. That was good to know.

Sophie smiled at that knowledge and filed it for later. She continued her work and quickly found some pain. Then she turned the dummy around for everyone to see. She smiled widely and presented her artwork.

"Seneca Crane," she said, "A reminder for you all."

Then she left with her dummy Seneca Crane swinging by a noose in the breeze.

%

"So how did your time in front of the Gamemakers go?" Haymitch asked once Parker had managed to seat herself at the dinner table.

"I shot an arrow through President Snow," Nate shrugged.

"You what?" Jimmy asked staring at his son.

"Well it obviously wasn't the real President Snow," Nate rolled his eyes. "It was a dummy that I used and painted Snow's name on. Then I shot him with my arrow."

"Dammit Nathan what were you thinking?" Jimmy demanded briskly, "They're definitely going to make you regret that decision when they read off the scores. We're going to have to do damage control during the interview."

"I hung Seneca Crane," Sophie sighed. Then she picked up a biscuit and started munching on it. She was starving. They wouldn't let her eat until the others had returned. She was done waiting.

"What?" Haymitch asked.

Everybody was staring at her like she had grown three heads. Haymitch's eyes were blown wide in surprise. Jimmy was boring his knife into an innocent plate. Nate was glaring daggers at her. Parker was smiling happily.

"What did they do?" She asked.

"What?" Sophie asked, still stuffing her face with food. "I'm three months pregnant and they expect me to compete in their stupid games. I'm hormonally unstable. We're lucky I didn't blast them into bits or something worse than that. Parker, please pass the soup."

"Hold on," Nate said, stopping the Seam's girl's process immediately. "I have a very good reason to upset the Gamemakers. I'm going to die so you can win the Quarter Quell."

"Well I drew a picture of Maggie like the painting Sophie gave to Maggie's parents when she came to visit!" Parker yelled.

Everybody turned to look at the girl with different stages of horror on their faces. She just looked back at them in confusion.

"What?" She demanded, "It's not like I'm going to make it out of the arena anyway. I might as well make the Gamemakers feel bad for it."

"Dammit Parker!" Nate yelled, "How am I supposed to get you out of there now?"

"You're not that's my point," Parker shrugged. She wasn't getting what she did wrong.

"All of you," Haymitch grouched, "Get out! All of you, out! I can't stand the sight of you! And don't even worry about practicing for the interview! You can all figure it out for yourselves. I'm done!"

Nate and Parker nodded their heads at the man's statement and started to leave. Sophie just shrugged and started piling up a few necessities on a plate. Then she started to grab another plate and started to pile on more supplies.

"Come on, Soph," Nate said, pulling her through the door without the food.

%

The lights were bright on the stage that night. The Quarter Quell tributes were organized in their own specific districts which meant that Sophie and Nate were sitting on exact opposite sides. That also meant Sophie was the very first person up for the interview.

The District One champion slowly made her way towards Ceaser Flickerman and his new pink hair. She walked slowly to hide the slight waddle to her steps from the baby bump. Her dress was one of the wedding dresses chosen by the Capitol audience. Luckily it was the one that flows all the way to the ground in a big puff of fabric. It hid her little secret very well. Nate was even wearing his chosen tux as well.

Flickerman stood to help escort her and Sophie clenched her arms together tightly. William had given her very specific instructions not to lift her arms over her head. She was going to do well to adhere to that order. She had to wait until the perfect moment to raise her arms high in the air. She just hoped she would know when to do it.

"So, Sophie," Ceaser began, "How are you?"

"I'm alright," she said, "I'm a little sad that I don't get to be with Nate for the rest of my life though. We were all set to get married and then this happened. But thank you so much for my dress. It's absolutely wonderful."

"Why don't you show it off for us," Ceaser proposed for the crowd, "Give us one last whirl since we won't get to see it on your Wedding Day."

"Okay," Sophie nodded.

She smiled towards the crowd and slowly stood up. She walked a little ways away from the edge of the stage to keep herself from injury. Then she began to twirl for the entire world to see. She lifted her hands high above her head, closed her eyes and spun with all her might.

There was a giant gasp from the crowd. The smell of singed cloth filled the air and smoke seemed to be all over. Sophie closed her eyes tighter at the feel of heat surrounding her. She just kept spinning and spinning until the baby told her to stop. Then she opened her eyes and gasped at what she saw.

On the screens surrounding the stage she was there. Only she wasn't wearing the wedding dress they had chosen. Instead, she was wearing a black dress with white feathers. Her wedding veil was now a black and white head dress. Her extended arms were now wings. She was a robinjay.


	6. Revelations

**A/N:** _Here's another chapter. I'm going to try to update my other stories too but who knows? This one wants to be written this weekend so we shall see what comes next. Enjoy and review if you like it! Review if you don't so I know what to improve!_

The District One champion slowly lowered her arms. She bowed before the crowd as much as she could. Then she quickly made her way back to her chair. It wasn't until her bum was in the seat that she realized what else was different with her costume. Her growing belly was showing.

Sophie's brown eyes blew wide at the image of her pregnant belly. Then she quickly buried her face in her hands and tried to ignore the awkward silence. Brutus, the other tribute of District One, walked up to the crowd and received a mild applause. Sophie just peeked through her fingers to see what happened. Everybody looked teary eyed and miserable. Then Brutus began to speak.

It was a simple speech. He had every intention of defeating every single one of his opponents. He didn't care about the fact that he knew several of them. He didn't even care about the fact that nobody cared about his plans. He was still playing the game. Years after winning his games, years after being out of the arena he was still playing the game. That was probably why he volunteered in the first place. Well, he had volunteered his first time. It made sense that he wanted the honor again.

The buzzer rang and the crowd barely cheered. Some were still staring at Sophie others were watching Enobaria approach the chair by Caesar's side. Each interview started blending together after that. A champion would speak and the crowd would slowly grow more and more distraught. Several women actually fainted when Eliot Spencer took center stage. Many more screamed their love for him and sobbed loudly and visibly.

Spencer was a popular favorite among the champions. He was the youngest competitor before Parker came into the mix. He was thirteen when he won and played his game. He was the favorite right from the start too. Everybody was going on and on about what a shame it was that the gorgeous, because he was gorgeous, Eliot Spencer wasn't going to last five minutes in the arena. Then he clinched the deal with a two for a score. Strategists everywhere were baffled by such a poor result. They were even more baffled when the boy made it through the first day of the games with the most blood on his hands. He was underestimated and played it up to his advantage. He was now seventeen and built for battle. He even pulled off a ten, an impressive score for somebody aiming to not be the target.

_Unlike Parker_, Sophie thought ruefully. The memory of the announcement of numbers was still fresh in her mind.

They were all sitting on the couch together. Haymitch was on one side while Jimmy was on the other. Sophie was in between Nate and Parker as was the norm now. The blonde's head was on her right shoulder while Nate's hand was firmly grasping hers in a death grip. All eyes were glued to the television screen. Nobody even bothered to breathe when they started announcing the scores.

"Next up, Sophie Devereaux," Claudius Templesmith called.

Caesar just smiled a bright smile. Though his eyes were completely void of cheerfulness he was still keeping up appearances. Even Templesmith had tears in his eyes. Nobody was expecting such attachment to the champions, not even President Snow.

Sophie's victory picture appeared on the screen and the numbers began to swirl. It was a twelve that finally glowed bright red for the whole of Panem to see. Everybody groaned at that but Sophie just shrugged and sat up straighter. She was expecting that. Nobody would have believed anything other than an eleven or twelve because of her score during her previous games. Everybody was predicting a twelve and she gave it to them. It didn't really matter to her. Nate and Parker's scores mattered.

Everybody was on edge until Templesmith finally announced District Twelve. Nate was first because he was the boy and that was just how they did things. Effie even audibly took in some air to hold her breath with the rest of them. She was rubbing her gold robbingjay bracelet and wiggling around for some form of good luck.

Effie had made certain to get everybody a pin to match Nate's mockingjay pin, or as Sophie loved to call them robbingjay pins. The pink-haired woman made certain to get every single person in her district one of them. Sophie wasn't one of her charges so she was the odd man out. Effie was highly upset about it but Sophie wasn't. It was Parker and Nate who needed the good luck.

Nate's number grew bright red and filled the screen. It was a twelve as well, exactly what she had been afraid of.

"I told you they were going to make you pay," Haymitch growled.

Jimmy didn't say anything repeatable. Well, it was repeatable and colorful. It just wasn't appropriate to repeat it. Though Parker did have a glint in her eye that meant she was more than willing to repeat it. Thankfully her name was announced before that could happen.

"Parker Ford's score is…" Caesar called.

He and Claudius were bouncing up and down in their seats now. Parker wasn't a champion so she didn't have their love like the others did. She was just a sitting duck waiting for everybody to capture and kill her. She was fresh meat basically.

"An eleven!" Claudius cheered.

The numbers were blaringly red and staring everybody in the face. The double one's were dancing around and shooting out balloons. The animations were making the number look like they were a good thing. They weren't. They were far from being good.

"Eleven!" Nate shouted, "How on Earth could they give her an eleven?"

"They just made her the target!" Sophie growled.

"I told you they would make you pay!" Haymitch hissed.

A sudden bang of applause broke Sophie out of her reverie. Nathan Ford, her husband, was approaching the stage to nothing but loud applause. Girls were whistling and sending him their love. Men were waving towards him as if he was a hero. There wasn't a silent person in the crowd from the way everybody was acting.

Nate took the performance as a challenge too. He waved towards everybody and played along. He gave out high fives and blew kisses to any woman who caught his eye. Then he winked towards his wife and graciously took Caesar's hand.

"Hello Nathan," Caesar said.

"Hello again, Caesar. It's great to see you again." Nate replied. He sent another wave towards the crowd and quickly took his seat. It was like he was a completely different person now.

"Nice tux," Caesar replied. He seemed disconcerted by Nate's behavior. Apparently he was expecting such a celebrity to appear before him. "I see the winning set was well-worth the wait. It's just a shame that the Capitol will never get to experience the joy of seeing this at your wedding."

"At least President Snow was kind enough to allow Panem to see them at all," Nate smiled, "Even if under such gruesome circumstances. Oh well, I still get to spend my dying days with the woman I love. That's a bonus, right?"

"Of course," Caesar nodded. Then there was a flash of sorrow on his face. His eyes moved towards the District One champion and back to the District Twelve champion. "But there seems to be something Sophie didn't explain."

"Really?" Nate frowned in confusion at that. He quickly turned his head towards Sophie and looked her up and down. Then he swung his whole body back and tilted his head to the right. He looked towards the audience and shrugged. "I don't see a difference."

Caesar and the crowd laughed uncomfortably at the joke. Then the interview host started looking around. He looked almost frightened of what he was going to say next.

"I was talking about the little bump to her stomach," he said.

"Oh you mean the baby," Nate chuckled. Then he encouraged the crowd to laugh with him by waving his hand a bit.

"I take it you knew about her condition?" Caesar pried.

"Oh yeah," Nate shrugged, "I am the baby's father after all. Unless you think Sophie met some guy in District One because if you do then I may just have to win this game just to kill him."

Caesar squealed a laugh at that and the crowd exchanged curious looks. Nobody was comfortable now. They were all looking at each other in fear of what could come out of Nate's mouth next. He didn't disappoint.

"I'm just kidding," Nate laughed, "I'm not going to win this game. I have no intention of it. My goal is to get Sophie and the baby out of her in one piece. There is nothing else in the world that matters to me."

"Not even your little sister," Caesar questioned softly.

The crowd was perfectly silent now. Teary eyes were glued to the blonde Seam girl and she fidgeted under the pressure. Nobody was looking forward to the games at all. Everybody was heartbroken. President Snow made one move too far wrong.

"Parker is fighting with me til the bitter end," Nate replied, "She's helping me save my child, an innocent baby whose only crime is that its parents are both champions."

And there it was. That was the reason why Nate had started out so cheerful and carefree. He loosened the crowd up just enough to increase the impact of his very last words. He reminded them of what they were doing during every game. He brought it home that the Capitol citizens were responsible for the slaughter of children and took great sport in it. He also showed them that it was the children of champions who suffered the most. It was the children of champions chosen for nothing more than their parents were victors.

The crowd screamed and moaned like a singular voice. They were all begging President Snow to cancel the Quarter Quell. Nobody wanted to see a baby die. Nobody wanted to see a pregnant woman die. Nobody wanted this and that was the key of it. President Snow was forcing this upon the Capitol and they were starting to realize that. The Capitol was realizing they had a voice, a say in what happened to the children of Panem and they were using it.

Nate took advantage of Caesar's distracted focus. He quickly raced towards his secret wife and grabbed her hand. Then Parker was suddenly there on Sophie's other side, squeezing her hand just as tight. On the monitors it was the same thing. Right down the line, champion after champion was linking their hands together. They were creating a chain of defiance against the Capitol and everything President Snow stood for. Then the screens went black at the realization.

Chaos reigned when the tributes left the stage. Sophie had nearly lost hold of Parker's hand twice during the whole thing. Peace keepers were separating everybody no matter what district they were from. Nate just barely managed to get into the elevator with them.

"What happened?" Sophie asked softly. She was confused and silently cursed herself for getting lost in her memories. She should have paid attention and not dozed off when Moreau started talking.

"I don't know," Nate shook his head. He was breathing heavy, like he had been running for miles. His hand was firmly clinging to hers though. And his eyes were soft, gazing at her with nothing but pure love and adoration. There was even a slight hint of a smile to his lips.

"But I'm pretty certain President Snow knows that we're not his puppets anymore."

%

Sophie entered her dressing room breathless and sore all over. She and the baby had a terrible night at the toilet. They were both still reeling from it. Nightmares and worry were probably the culprits responsible. Even Nate and Parker's breaths couldn't keep her away from the bathroom. She was very unprepared for the day's events. That was the absolute worst thing she could be too.

"Are you okay?" William asked.

He had met her at the door and pulled her into a strong hug. Sophie had clung to him as if life depended on it. She took a deep breath and memorized the smell of his auburn hair. She breathed in the scent of apples and cinnamon and pretended she was somewhere, anywhere else. Then her eyes snapped open and she stepped away.

"I'm fine," she answered, effectively lying through her teeth with a smile.

William nodded at her answer. It was enough for him then. He slowly pulled something out of his pocket and quickly set to work pinning it to her chest. Then he kissed it and placed both of his hands on her cheeks.

"The odds are in your favor," he said. Then he placed a kiss on her forehead and stepped away.

Sophie stared at him in confusion before she looked down. Then she gasped at what was on her chest. Nate's robbingjay pin shimmered in the light. The girl quickly looked at him for an answer, mouth ready to speak.

"Nate told me to give that to you before you went up," William explained, "He said it was to ensure that you would make it back to him in one piece."

Sophie didn't know what to say to that. The baby didn't either if the way her eyes watered was any inclination. So she just jumped towards her stylist and held him tight. She gave him a firm squeeze and allowed a few tears to fall on his beautiful blue shirt.

"Hush now," William cried, pulling her away from him just enough to clear off her tears. "There is no need to cry. My money is always on you, my darling champion. You will win and you will prove President Snow wrong. Remember, love always wins the war."

"If hate doesn't destroy it first," Sophie sniffled but she stopped her tears anyway. She bit her lip and forced herself to stand straight. She raised her chin and prepared herself for battle. She was ready.

"Nate is a very lucky man," William replied.

Then he quickly pushed her towards the tube. Sophie entered and turned around. She wanted to wave him good-bye. The doors closed and she smiled the brightest smile she had in her arsenal. She waited for the tube to start moving up and waited.

Something was wrong. She wasn't moving and she was supposed to be moving. William sensed it as well. There was a frown on his face and his green eyes were narrowed with suspicion. Then the door flew open.

Peace Keepers entered the room with their white uniforms glistening in the sick light. They raised perfectly white batons and started beating on William. There was blood streaking from his mouth and his nose but they didn't stop. They just kept beating until he stopped moving. Then they started pulling his crumpled body out of the room as if Sophie wasn't even in there.

The platform slowly began to rise with Sophie's panicked breathing as its ally. Sophie was pounding on the glass with every intention of trying to tell William she was there. She stopped but only because she could hear something coming from above. Then she shut her eyes tight. There was nothing but a bright sun shining her eyes… and water.


	7. Cornucopia Shock

**A/N:** _Hey guys, sorry this is so late. I've been super busy with Tech week and performances for the past couple of weeks. I'll try to make your wait worth it though, I promise. My goal is to get you another chapter up on Sunday. Until then enjoy this while I update my other stories as well. Special thanks to Jada Ryl for getting on my case about it. Don't be afraid to leave a review if it's been too long between posts. Thanks!_

Nate stared at the vast ocean covering the entirety of his senses. He could just barely make out the blurry figures of Archie Leach and Damien Moreau to his right and left respectively. Sophie and Parker were nowhere in his line of sight. There was nothing but ocean and an island. The cornucopia was directly in the middle of it all, as usual. The siren rang out louder than ever but nobody seemed able to move. They were all looking into the water in confusion and panic. There was only one thing left to do.

"Here we go," Nate cheered, jumping into the water as quickly as possible.

It had been years since he went for a swim but it was easy to remember how to do it. He kicked his feet and propelled himself forward with his arms. It was a lot harder than he remembered. It was as though he was floating on the surface. Every time he kicked he was propelled further through the water than before. He was on shore in moments and took high advantage of that. He looked around for any sign of any other tributes. Eliot Spencer, of course, was the only one on shore. Everybody else was still trying to figure out how to get down.

Nate looked towards the Cornucopia and smiled at the arrows. This time there were two sets which meant they knew Parker was handy with a bow. He raced towards them and grabbed both sets. He wasn't going to take the chance of another tribute getting to land. He quickly placed an arrow on his bow and drew it back, turning around and pointing his weapon towards the District Four tribute.

"Relax," Eliot rolled his eyes at the slightly older man. He waved his left arm in the air a bit and a gold glint caught the District Twelve champion's eyes. Spencer was wearing a golden mockingjay bracelet. It looked exactly like the one Effie had forced Haymitch to wear during the training section. That meant only one thing.

"Allies?" Nate asked, holding out his hand for the other man to shake.

"Allies," Eliot agreed.

Nate nodded his head and ignored the pleased smirk on the other man's face. He had a job to do. It was time to locate the girls. He scanned the water for any signs of life. His luck was still in good hands. None of the other tributes seemed to have figured out how to get into the water yet. That was good.

"Sophie's over there," Eliot pointed out, "She looks like she's panicking."

Nate followed the direction of the District Four man's finger. Sure enough, Sophie was dissolved in tears and looking in every direction. She was standing stock still like she hadn't even heard the buzzer go off. She was shaking and looked pale even from the distance he was at.

"I'm going to get her," Nate began.

He looked to his right and was horrified to notice Spencer was already in the water. He was swimming towards Sophie at top speed. She noticed too. She looked slightly horrified but she would be fine. So Nate went to work keeping an eye on his new ally and searching for Parker while making certain nobody came to kill them. So far, Parker seemed to be the most elusive. She was nowhere to be found and that was the most worrying thing.

"Why did you let him go after Sophie?"

Nate jumped and turned around. Yep, Parker was glaring at him with betrayal all over her features. Her hands were on her hips and her lips were pouting out. There was even a little glint of death shimmering in her eyes.

"Where have you been?" He asked.

"I swam," she shrugged, "You taught me how to, remember? So, why is Eliot Spencer going to Sophie? Better yet, why is he carrying her back?"

"He's our ally," Nate shrugged, "Now, was there anybody else swimming here?"

"Enobaria and Mags is just waiting for an invitation," she said.

"Mags isn't waiting for an invitation," Eliot growled.

He was wiping sand off of his suit. Sophie was already off of him and on her way into Nate's arms. Tears were falling freely and she was stuttering.

"They killed William," she whimpered.

"Enobaria is going to kill us!" Parker growled.

Nate just handed over a bow and some arrows. Then he pulled Sophie close to his side. He began running towards the Cornucopia and pushed her into it. Then he started picking up random weapons and placing them in her hands. Weapons were the only thing there. No food, no water, there was nothing that could help them survive. They were meant to fight to the death. But nobody could figure out how to swim.

"Nate, we need you to help!" Eliot shouted.

He was already stripping down and diving into the water again. This time he was going to get Mags, his mentor if memory served to be correct. Enobaria wasn't the only one swimming towards them now. No, Brutus and Moreau seemed to have figured out the movement by watching them. They were each making good time on their way over towards them. Beetee was even in the water with some purple goop surrounding him. It seemed to be keeping him floating so he was complaining. It was the moving that he seemed to be suffering from.

Nate looked back towards his secret wife and nodded towards the water. She picked up her knives and started twirling them in the air. She nodded her head, moved towards the water and tested out her aim. Brutus slowed down his progress considerably. Sophie managed to get him in the shoulder but Enobaria was still moving closer.

"I suggest we get out of here as soon as possible," Parker screamed, loosing another arrow into the water. She only barely missed Moreau's cheek. "I don't want to lose any more of our weapons in the water."

"Rather to the water than the other tributes," Sophie proposed.

Then she returned to the Cornucopia and started plunging some of the weapons into the icy blue waves. She was a genius and proving it with every move she made. She was giving them the advantage they needed.

Eliot and Mags were back on the beach before Enobaria. They got to their feet and started running. Eliot picked up his trident and a few extra knives as a just in case. Then he grabbed the District One Champion's hand and started pulling her into the woods. Nate and Parker brought up the rear by firing off towards the champions finally on ground. Then they started running as fast as they could. Parker kept her eyes on their new allies while Nate stayed close to Sophie. They weren't going to take the chances of trusting the wrong people.

Sophie had seemed to calm down a bit. At least it would appear that way to Panem, watching this on the screen. In real life she was still wrecked. She was just hiding it better. She was looking everywhere she could to focus on something other than the turmoil within. Then her eyes finally focused on something. She was staring at it with such avid fascination. Then she stopped and tilted her head to the left. She was thinking again which brought a smile to Nate's face. They were back in their element, whether they wanted to be or not.

The boy looked forward and started walking up front. He wanted to be sure nobody was going to pay them a surprise. He looked to his left and noticed a very tall tree. He motioned towards everybody to stop. Amazingly enough everybody did. He pointed towards the tree and Parker nodded. She handed Sophie her bow and started scurrying up the tree. Nate rolled his eyes and pulled the girl off the tree.

"I need you to stay down here," he told her, "We need your energy for later."

The blonde looked at him in confusion. He winked at her and waited for her face to contort in understanding. He was trying to pass her a subtle message. He knew what Parker could do and the others didn't. If they tried something she would easily outmaneuver them. She had the advantage and Spencer would at least think twice before acting. Besides, if the other champions were close then he could die and the others would carry on. Parker was more valuable this time around anyway.

"Fine but I get to climb the next tree," Parker growled. She immediately moved to Sophie's side and gave everybody the stink-eye. Her arms were crossed on her chest but she was prepared. Nobody was going to touch her or Sophie.

Nate smiled and wrapped his bow around himself. He jumped onto the tree and started making his way higher and higher. It was a nice climb compared the usual trees he had to scale. This one came with its own grips and he was able to get to the branches quicker. There were a few spots of moss but nothing too slippery. He was pushing through thick green leaves before he knew it. There were a few animals nearby that looked funky and like their muzzles had been pushed back too much. Some of them had tails and were fuzzy while others looked pretty naked. Birds weren't around but that meant nothing. The birds avoided noise whenever possible. Then bright blue sky was suddenly everywhere.

Nate sat on the top of the tree and looked out. He observed nothing but trees for miles. Each one was meant for a different climate. Not a single one looked like the ones in District Twelve but they didn't exactly look like the pictures of trees in District Four either. They were probably mutts. Nate spotted the water and immediately used that to find the beach. Then he nearly screamed.

The pearly pinks, whites and oranges that had once been there was no more than a red stain on the majestic beauty of the arena now. The golden Cornucopia glinted in the sun and made the crimson blood more colorful. Black spots of bodies were still fighting for dominance no matter what happened. The sounds of war were still filtering through the wind. Shouts and swords clashing together in horrid harmony, blood still pouring from people who had known each other so well for years, friends were killing each other for no reason more than the chance of survival. They had held hands only the night before, united against the Capitol in every way possible. Now they were entertaining President Snow with their blood shed.

Nate slid down the tree with a heavy heart.

"What did you see?" Spencer demanded voice desperate for news on some of his friends.

Nate placed an arrow on his bow and looked at the District Four champion. Eliot likewise steered his trident towards his opponent. The two were measuring each other's intent to kill. Both were willing to do whatever needed to be done.

"Did you honestly expect them to just drop everything and refuse to play the game?" Eliot demanded curtly, "Awfully hypocritical don't you think?"

"I have a very good reason," Nate growled.

"And we don't?"

Eliot rolled his eyes and twirled the trident around. There was a deep scowl on his face and warning in his eyes. There was reluctance as well. He seemed not to want to kill him but wouldn't hesitate. Eliot Spencer was measuring Nathan Ford. He was looking for a sign of… something.

Nate lowered his arrow and watched as the trident lowered as well. Both young men stared at each other for a few moments, measuring the desire to kill. Then Nate smiled and started walking further away from the Cornucopia.

"We need to get as far away from them as we can," he called back, "The blood shed is almost over and we haven't even found water yet."

He smiled at his allies and started on his way. He didn't even notice the slight shimmer near the ground. He just kept walking closer and closer to doom. He didn't even have time to hear the scream of warning erupting from his secret wife's lips. Instead he just walked forward and experienced nothing but sudden black.

%

Sophie screamed.

Nate had walked right into the force-field completely unaware of its existence. He was now lying crumpled on the ground unresponsive. She was at his side trying to shake him awake while Parker tried to pry her away. The blonde Seam girl had absolutely no idea what kind of horror was going on though. Nate didn't have a heartbeat.

"I've got this."

Sophie tried to fight off Eliot's hands but she couldn't. She was too dissolved in sobs and fear of Nate's lacking heartbeat. Unfamiliar arms wrapped around her and held her close while Eliot went to work.

He pulled Nate close to him and placed his head on his chest. He listened for a few moments and immediately went into action. He started pumping onto his chest. He counted to fifteen and listened to the heart again. He frowned harder and placed his hand over Nate's mouth. He breathed deeply and started pounding away on his chest. The count was fifteen once again and he listened. He then tilted the District Twelve champion's face up and was just about to breathe air into his lungs. Nate's blue eyes opened wide and pushed the other man out of his way, choking as he did it.

"Nate!" Sophie cried rushing to his side in an instant.

She wrapped her arms around his gasping body and squeezed tightly. Tears poured out of her eyes all over again. This time she couldn't control her breathing and didn't even care. Nate was alive and almost left her and there was nothing in the world she wanted to do more than hold him close right now. She didn't care if it made her look weak. She almost lost the love of her life.

"Shh," Nate cooed, "I'm fine, Soph. I'm here. It's alright."

"They tried to kill you," she pouted, "First they beat William to death right in front of my eyes and now you! It's not fine, Nate! They almost got you! President Snow almost won! He almost killed you and I'm…"

"You should take a moment to breathe, Sophie!" Eliot interrupted his eyes darting from side to side. "Your condition might make you say something you don't mean."

Sophie sniffled back a few tears and nodded softly. She touched her stomach and felt the child squirm at the contact. She suddenly felt very dizzy and breathless. The world was beginning to spin and she couldn't afford that. No, she stood to her feet and rushed towards the trees with a lame excuse of getting something to eat. She tried to make it further away from them than she had. Sickness had decided to take over and her stomach was thoroughly emptied.

"Great," she moaned.

Now she was stuck with an awful taste in her mouth and no water to quench that thirst. The moss they had during training was hanging from a branch so that at least allowed her to clean herself up afterwards. She just had to find something for everybody to eat and a good excuse for how she knew the stupid force-field was there. Plus the child was begging her for something to drink after that dangerous bought. Her tongue was dry and the heat seemed to be affecting her more than it had before.

_It would be quite ironic if I died of heat exhaustion_, she thought.

Of course, the answer to her prayers decided to appear just as that wicked thought appeared in her head. An absolutely scrumptious looking animal happened to crawl around her feet. It was smacking its lips like it had just quenched its thirst. So the young woman decided to investigate the area it had come from.

She traced its tracks all the way back to a tree that looked pretty similar to the one Nate had just climbed. She pulled on the nearest branch as gently as possible. Animals started scattering at her face's appearance but it was already too late. She saw exactly what she wasn't supposed to. A flick of her knife and a horrified scream of death sounded.

So did the first canon.

%

Nate jumped to his feet at the sound of the first canon going off. Sophie was the only thought on his mind as the canons kept shouting. He didn't care about how weak he felt or how hard it was to breathe. He just lunged forward and frantically started pulling apart the foliage. He felt a great pang pulsing up and down his chest but he ignored it. His panic was the only thing keeping him on his feet anyway.

Eight, he mentally acknowledged as he continued to ignore everybody's shouts. He needed to get to Sophie. She was his responsibility and that baby was the reason he was doing this. That baby, his baby, their baby was going to grow up to be big and strong and the most powerful child ever. He was not going to allow his child to die. He couldn't.

"I found water and brought food!"

Nate twirled around at the sound of her voice. Sophie was just standing there holding up a dead rat-thing and looking proud of her accomplishment. It made his stomach twitch and the familiar bubbling of anger creep up his chest. His breaths were coming in short and heat was starting to go into his cheek.

"Where have you been?" He screamed at her, "I've been calling your name since those damn canons started going off! You didn't answer me, not even once! I thought you were dead, do you hear me? I thought you were dead and that I was never going to see you again! Dammit Sophie you're carrying my baby. You have to be more careful! You know what, from now on you're not allowed to leave without an escort!"

"Excuse you?" Sophie's brown eyes narrowed at the plea.

Her hands immediately went to her widening hips and her lips pursed into a frown. Nate immediately regretted blowing up at her. She was starting to shake with anger. He was in for it now and there was no escape. He should not have said that last part out loud.

"I will not be treated like a child!" She shouted, "I may be carrying your child but its mine too and I know how to take care of myself better than you do. I told you I was looking for food found it and even found us something to drink so we don't die. Don't think that my condition as Eliot deemed it a few moments ago allows you to control what I do."

"Don't go sneaking off and I won't have to worry!" He shouted back.

Then he allowed himself to fall to the ground because he couldn't stand the ache in his legs any more. He crossed his arms against his chest and glared at her. She gave him no sympathy and just glared back. He rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the rumbling of his stomach and the dizzying sensation going through his brain. Of course, her satisfied smirk definitely was an indication that he had indeed failed miserably.

"It's in the trees."

"What?" Nate stared at his secret wife, completely and utterly flummoxed.

"The water it's in the trees," she explained, "I saw this one and one of his friends pushing a branch down just enough to get the water. I tried to repeat it but I couldn't figure it out."

A silver parachute came out of nowhere after her words. It spurred and whirled towards them with a simple task in mind. It collapsed upon the ground and revealed a spiral tool. Everybody stared at it in complete and utter confusion.

"What do we do with it?" Parker asked.

"Maybe this is how we get the water," Eliot suggested, picking it up and inspecting it closely.

"It's a tap," Nate explained, "If we hammer this into the tree, we will be able to drink the water. Although I'm pretty certain it's just tree sap but that's still better than nothing."

"Give me a knife," Eliot demanded, holding out his hand to the District One Champion.

Sophie stared at him for a few minutes studying his intentions carefully. Then she placed a knife into the younger man's hand. Eliot inclined his head forward slightly and headed towards the first tree he could find. He dug himself a nice hole and placed the tap inside. Sap fell from it immediately. Parker rushed Mags to the liquid and helped her drink her fill. Then she did the same. In fact everybody worked their hardest to drink their fill to quench their thirst.

They roasted up some food and had a feast, watching as each fallen champion appeared upon the sky. Eight in total and they were all highly talented. Eliot and Mags both took their moments to privately remember their fallen comrades. Nate and Parker just scooted closer to Sophie.

After dinner they each weaved some canteens to pour the sap into. The plan was to travel a little bit further away from the Cornucopia and the surviving champions. They did so with baited breath, each one waiting for something cruel and unusual to happen. Of course, they were completely unaware of the danger they were about to get themselves into.


	8. Running From the Dark

**A/N:** _This is for Jada Rayl by request._

Nate awoke to a pounding head, a giant pressure on his chest and Sophie Devereaux in his arms. A smile crept upon his face despite the pain. His secret wife was beautiful to behold. Then he felt a tremor erupt from the ground. Eliot's startled voice called from above him.

"What was that?" He asked.

Nate stared at him worriedly.

"I thought it was just me," he replied.

The District Four champion's eyes grew wide with fright. The tremor returned as an exclamation to his fear.

Nate jumped to his feet and rustled his girls to wake. Sophie's eyes popped open immediately while Parker already aiming her bow.

"What's going on?" Sophie demanded.

"We don't know," Eliot growled. Mags was already in his arms. "We need to go."

Mags started to point behind Eliot. Puffs of leaves were starting to cover the ground. A tree would be standing there then it would be gone within the blink of an eye. Animals were racing away as black spots appeared on the ground. Then the ground itself started to fall away.

"Run!" Nate called, grabbing Parker as he spoke.

The group raced away from the collapsing ground as fast as possible. At first, the feat seemed hopeless as the trees continued to disappear into the ground right by their sides. The ground was literally leaving their feet before they could even get very far. Animals were frantically racing before them, trying just as hard as the champions to escape the collapsing ground. Then the trees were starting to stay longer. They weren't disappearing without any notice anymore. Now their moaning and groaning were getting further and further away.

Nate looked back and screamed at the lack of Earth. There was nothing but black and the ground was checkering away from behind them. The District Twelve champion pushed his wife and little sister forward. He urged their feet further and further away from the trembling, collapsing jungle floor. Then a giant boulder appeared out of nowhere.

Parker was the only one with enough agility and energy to move out of the way. Nate took careful note of that as he dived in front of his wife before she could fall to the ground. He caught her and their child before any major damage could be done, but Eliot wasn't so lucky.

Mags slipped from his arms and rolled away. She was the closest to the collapsing foliage than anybody else. Spencer tried to reach her in time. He jumped to his feet and swayed at the rush probably going to his head. Blood was spurting from his hair and the color was softly draining from his features. He stumbled towards his mentor as quickly as his feet could carry him.

For her part, Mags took note of the falling away ground. The old woman rose to her feet slowly and shook her head at the boy she raised into a man. Tears were falling from her eyes as she watched him try to rescue her. Nate watched in horror as Eliot continued to fall and rise to save the woman who saved him from the arena the first time around. Then he noticed Mags shaking her head in misery. She blew a kiss and jumped into the growing crevice of Earth.

"No!" Eliot howled in pain. He stumbled forward and fell to the ground in pain.

Nate handed Sophie over to Parker and rushed towards his ally's aide. Eliot struggled against him, trying to get to the disappeared Mags. The District Twelve champion scooped him into his arms and raced away just as the falling ground reached them. They raced through the jungle trees and barely avoided falling objects. Wind was pounding against them as they dodged falling coconuts, jutting rocks and whatever else the Gamemakers decided to place in their way. Trees grew up out of the ground to stop them, failing as they only managed to return to the void at their appearance.

Sophie and Parker were no longer in sight. Even the animals they were following were gone. There was nothing left but the great void behind them and the slimming ground before them. A shining light appeared out of nowhere. It was through a patch of trees and glinting like a shining beacon.

Nate rushed towards it as fast as he could. He catapulted the District Four champion over a giant wall of rocks. Then he rolled over the rock as well. Eliot was still trying to wake up and move but he wasn't doing much. He was just rolling around and failing to find his feet. Nate knew exactly how he felt. The burning sensation in his chest was spreading everywhere. Neither one of them were cut out for this kind of running. But the flickering light was calling to him.

"Come on, Eliot," Nate called, "We've got to go."

He held out his hand to the District Four champion and waited. Eliot tried to take and failed, several times.

"Maybe you should just leave me here," Eliot laughed humorlessly, "Your ribs can't handle running let alone carrying me around."

"Mags sacrificed herself for a reason," Nate replied. Then he pulled the younger man onto his back.

The time spent catching breath was too much. The grass was starting to fall from their feet again. They had to hop from rock to rock in order to get far enough ahead to run. The running took forever just to escape the falling trees. The light was growing close enough to see now. It was a reflection of the sun on the waves. The beach was coming closer with each heavy step Nate took. They were almost there.

"Nate," Eliot called from above, "The hole's sped up."

Nate didn't dare to look behind. He trusted his ally's words. So he ignored the pounding ache in his chest and took a deep breath. He bent forward a little bit and urged himself forward more and more. Then he bent his knees and jumped to the newly appeared sand.

%

Parker was in a full-blown panic by the water's edge. She was even fighting Sophie tooth and nail to go back for Nate and Eliot. Her bow was cast aside as she tried to run the pregnant woman to the ground.

"He's our family!" Parker shouted at the top of her voice.

"And he'll find his way back to us," Sophie cooed softly, "That's exactly what he did the first time we were in the games and that's what he's going to do now."

The District One champion didn't blame the Seam girl for her fears. In truth, the blonde was merely echoing her own thoughts. Nate and Eliot were right behind them when they were running away. Then they just weren't and there was nothing they could do. They either avoided the consuming hole of doom or they didn't. And Sophie hoped against hope that her husband survived it.

"Let me go!" Parker shouted towards her, struggling even more in her haste to get away. "You don't understand. I can help them."

"No Parker," Sophie shook her head, "I can't let you do that."

Parker pushed her away in disgust.

"You don't love him," she growled, "You've just been pretending. I bet the baby is just a con to get him to give you the victory. I know what you're doing! I'm not going to let you do it!"

Sophie stared at the Seam girl in shock. Tears were already in her eyes despite the rational part of her brain telling her Parker didn't mean it. She was just as much in pain over the prospects of losing Nate. She couldn't even bear the thought of winning the Quarter Quell. Her heart ached with frustration at the fact that everybody had already agreed she would win without her consent. Before Parker could even continue her tantrum, before Sophie could even think about the losses she was about to experience, a ruffling noise forced them to look towards the jungle again.

Nate and Eliot rolled through the sand in a tussle of blood and plants. Both men tumbled towards the water with no sign of stopping. In fact, Nate yelped in pain when they both hit a rock and flew through the air. Both men were in the water in seconds. Nate landed with his back on the ground while Eliot was face first. A stream of red was floating away from the District Four champion's head. Nate was just staring at the sky and seemed unwilling to move.

Sophie rushed towards the pair as fast as her aching feet would let her. The child in her womb was complaining of the abuse but she ignored it. Right now she had to focus on her allies and their growing list of injuries.

"Nate," Sophie gasped at the sight of him.

His bright blue eyes were glossed over in pain. His chest was heaving and he was holding ribs like they were about to collapse. His hands were shaking and his mouth was moving. His secret wife moved closer to his gaping mouth and noticed he was making gasping noises. Then she realized his lungs weren't working.

"No!" She cried as she used whatever strength she could to pull him up.

Unfortunately the baby had other plans. A great fire developed in her stomach. She dropped her secret husband and fell on her bottom. Her arms automatically wrapped around the area of pain and tears began to stream down her cheeks. Her wetsuit was once again covered in water and the love of her life was dying.

Parker was too busy helping Eliot to notice the new danger. She was clearing away the blood dripping from his face and telling him to take his time breathing. She didn't hear her ally's cry of pain. She didn't even notice anything other than her assigned task. She thought Sophie had Nate taken care of.

"Parker," Sophie called. But the pain forced the call through gritted teeth. She couldn't catch her breath or help her husband do the same. She was going to lose her baby and her husband all in one go.

"I've got your back," a voice said.

Sophie didn't know who was talking to her but she felt strong hands pull her towards the beach. She struggled until she saw two other people helping Nate gain his breath back. He didn't struggle against them so she took her cue. She allowed the strong hands to take her away and took comfort in the reinforcements.

A kind face of an old man appeared before her eyes. He was smiling at her and rubbing soothing circles in her back. He was crouched low on the sand with her and his blue eyes looked just as kind as Nate's. Then he waved a golden robbingjay necklace in front of her.

"I'm Archie," he explained, "I'm here to help. Where's the pain?"

"Right here," Sophie whimpered pointing to the offending area with terror.

Archie started pressing his fingers into the painful area. He was rubbing circles in it and the pain was starting to fade. Unfortunately, that only made the girl panic more.

"Is that helping?" He asked.

Sophie nodded and a gasp escaped her lips.

"Is my baby dead?" She asked tears spilling from her eyes again.

Archie smiled at the girl and shook his head.

"No, sweetheart," he replied, "You just overexerted yourself. All will be fine soon enough. You just need to rest for a bit. That baby was worried about you."

"Then it takes after its father," she joked with a giggle of pure bliss at the news her child was fine.

"Sophie!" Parker screamed.

The tiny blonde exploded through the group of people around surrounding her. She latched onto the brunette with all her might and squeezed tight.

"I'm sorry," she cried, "I didn't mean it. I know you were just as worried about Nate as I was. I didn't mean to upset the baby. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Sophie patted the girl on the back, "It wasn't your fault, Parker. You were just scared. I knew you didn't mean it."

"I'm sorry, kiddo, but you have to move," Archie said taking Parker away gently, "Sophie needs rest right now. That baby of hers wasn't too happy about the running and the lifting on top of that."

Parker nodded her head at the older man's statement. She sniffled back a hint of tears and kindly went back to the water to retrieve her bow. Sophie followed her until Nate's silhouette took her attention. He was lying on the sand but his chest was moving up and down. He was breathing again. His eyes looked like they were closed. Then he started to move.

"Soph," he cried in a huff of a voice.

Parker was at his side in moments, pushing him into the ground. She was explaining that everything was fine and he would be alright. He needed rest and she knew it. Nate wasn't even able to fight her either. He was already on his way to oblivion and there was nothing he could do to stop. He exerted all of his strength saving Eliot.

"The baby?" He asked and then he was out.

"It's fine, Nate," Parker cooed, "We're going to be fine."

Sophie smiled at the way the blonde took care of Nate. Anybody could tell she loved him. He was probably the only person to ever show that girl what the love of a family really was. Then the brunette giggled at the idea of Nate meeting Parker's first boyfriend. He would explode and be an extremely overprotective big brother. It would be the exact same way if the baby was a girl. He would flip at that too.

Fresh tears began to fall from the District One champion's eyes. President Snow crushed all of those dreams from ever happening. Nate and Parker were going to die to ensure the baby would grow. And the Capitol was getting a show they would never forget. This year twenty-four were reaped, but twenty-five were competing. Sophie was going to have to raise her child with the knowledge that the entire Quarter Quell was fought for her baby's survival.

"Here," a redhead cooed, "Archie told me to give you this."

"What is it?" Sophie asked.

"Some nuts I fried on the force-field," the redhead replied.

Sophie graciously accepted the gift and politely started to enjoy her meal. She stared at the redhead completely covered in sticky red stuff. She was beautiful for certain but there was something about her that was striking in Sophie's memory. Of course, the girl was a champion herself. The question was, which one was she.

"You're Johanna Mason," she gasped.

Johanna smiled and giggled at the shocked look on the pregnant woman's face. Then she shrugged and slumped down beside her.

"Yeah," she nodded, "What's it to you?"

"Nothing," Sophie replied, "I just thought your strategy through the games was a brilliant idea. Nobody knew you were the one stealing the food until it was already too late."

"That's what I'm here for," Johanna winked, "That and a strip-tease."

Sophie took in her appearance and debated the pros and cons of the question on her mind. Finally she just decided to let her curiosity to soar. These people saved them for no reason other than Haymitch told them to. She needed something to calm her down.

"How did you get that red stuff all over you?" Sophie asked.

Johanna's face turned into a squint-eyed frown at that. She shrugged and started playing with her collar.

"We were thirsty," she explained, "There was lightning and thunder. Clouds appeared in the sky. We thought it was rain."

"Is it blood?" Sophie gasped. Disgust was in her voice. She couldn't really help it either. It would be exactly what the evil Gamemakers would do. They probably even genetically altered it so it would smell like the blood of the champions who died during the initial attack on the Cornucopia.

"I think so," Johanna shrugged, "Either way nuts and bolts made me run throughout most of this stupid arena to protect their sorry butts."

"Where did it storm?" Sophie asked.

"You didn't see it," Johanna gasped in surprise, "It was a big crack of lightning and then a whole downpour. You can see it from everywhere. Where were you?"

"We were in the portion of the jungle that collapses under your feet before dawn," Sophie replied.

Johanna stared at her for a while and shrugged. Then she made some poor excuse and went to Archie. The old man was busy helping Eliot wrap his wounds. He seemed to have passed out too. They were perfect sitting ducks for any danger that appeared. The only ones able to actually withstand an ambush were Johanna, Archie and Parker. The ones the District Seven champion called nuts and bolts looked too absorbed in their own little world.

_Why would Haymitch want them to be our allies?_ Sophie thought in confusion, _then again that might have been Jimmy's work._

"Where's Mags?" Archie demanded of the District One champion later that night.

They had successfully made camp by the beach's edge. Nobody attacked them and no canons sounded. It was a relatively boring day on their end so the Gamemakers were probably plotting a way to make the games more interesting. Nate and Eliot were still unconscious, but the baby wasn't making a fuss. Johanna was even assigned to be Sophie's bodyguard for the potty breaks. Parker was getting along with Archie, Beetee (bolts,) and Wiress (nuts.) They even got a meal of drop biscuits from District three, thirty-two to be split between the eight of them. Plus, Johanna enjoyed roasting nuts on the force-field to the point where they had more than enough for an adequate meal.

"What?" Sophie asked to stall for a while. She didn't exactly enjoy telling people about death. It was her least favorite portion of the games.

"Mags," Archie stressed softly. He seemed to sense that something horrible had happened. "What happened?"

Sophie opened her mouth to describe it but tears forced her silence. She closed her mouth and shook her head sadly.

Archie took the hint and nodded just as sadly. Then he took a deep breath and clapped his hands together.

"Alright people," he said, "We need to get some sleep. Cashmere was killed yesterday so Moreau is still on the warpath. He's got Chaos and Brutus on his side too so be on the lookout. They may not come after us but I don't want to take any chances. Johanna, Parker, you two are on the first watch tonight. Wiress, Beetee, your job is to keep an eye on Sophie. I'll protect Eliot and Nate. Now, let's get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us, I'm sure."

Nobody argued with the older man's orders. Sleep and caution were the only things on their mind. Even the Capitol crest and its intro music couldn't stop the District One champion's eyes open. Exhaustion from the day's events had her out just as Mags' image appeared in the sky. Her eyes closed as she listened to the ramblings of Wiress' nervous tone.

"Tick, tock, tick, tock," she said.

Then oblivion's sweet embrace carried Sophie Devereaux (Ford) away.


	9. Time's Hunt

**A/N:** _So I haven't updated this in a while. My excuse is simply that I stupidly signed up for classes that require me to read an epic amount of stuff by the very next class. I also forgot to bring Catching Fire with me when I returned to school so my memory and sequence of events may be off but I'm trying. We are getting close to the end of this one. Plus, I have to work on my senior proposal and the play I'm working on for the thesis. However, I am used to my schedule enough to get back to writing fic. I'm debating between this one and my In Search of Robin Hood fic to work on exclusively. Give me your opinions but expect quicker updates for one of the two fics. (Most likely this one if I can get my sequence of events organized.)_

**A/N II:** _Enjoy and don't be afraid to PM or review me when you've waited too long for an update! And just in case I didn't make clear before, I own nothing but the novels and DVD's. No profit is made, unfortunately._

**A/N III:** _This chapter is also dedicated to Jada Ryl because I accidentally misspelled your name on the last one and couldn't go back to fix it. I'm super sorry._

Nate was still out like a light when Sophie awoke the next morning. The attack they were expecting to happen; didn't. Moreau, Brutus, Chaos, and whoever else was on the other side didn't seem interested in taking out an easy target. Sophie was secretly wondering why that was still bothering her. Even the baby seemed to know something was up with the lack of attack. Their enemy was planning to attack when they least expected it.

Wiress and Beetee were currently working on some plan together. Well, Beetee was working on a plan of action while Wiress continued singing her odd little song.

"Tick, tock, tick, tock," she would purr and everybody would complain.

Johanna had already attempted killing her twice before Archie got fed up and sent her on a nut gathering expedition. She had walked away with Eliot in tow. The District Four champion was highly interested in doing anything after yesterday's escapade. He was the first awake and the first to volunteer to gather breakfast. Luckily Archie vetoed that with enough sense to explain that the man needed to check his injury first. Needless to say, he was extremely restless to kill something when lunch rolled around.

Sophie knew what he was feeling. After yesterday's incident, nobody allowed her to do anything. She had to con Beetee into letting her make some snares. Then Archie realized what a "great idea" that was and supplied her with more types of string than she ever realized were in existence. He instructed her that they would need nets of different braids. Then Eliot returned with several leaves for her to have. Sophie didn't yell at him like she had the others because he really was trying to be nice. The others were only keeping her distracted.

"Why hasn't Nate woken up yet?"

Parker was the one who needed to be distracted.

Eliot rolled his eyes at the girl and immediately replied, "His lungs weren't fully recovered when we ran our little marathon, Parker. He shouldn't have even been carrying me. The added weight stressed him out more. Frankly, I'd be surprised if he woke up today at all."

"What happened to stress out his lungs so much?" Johanna whispered towards the District Four champion.

To be fair, she didn't really whisper the question. She shouted it into his ear and giggled when he flinched in pain. Then she skipped over to Archie and handed him a giant bowl full of roasted nuts. She plopped down at his side and enjoyed the puff of sand that encircled her.

"He walked into a force-field and Sophie yelled at him not to do that right when he got zapped," Parker explained.

Archie raised an eyebrow at the Seam girl's enthusiasm. He shared a look with Beetee and the two of them turned to look at the pregnant woman who was busy braiding and weaving. Their expressions were worried and expectant. Sophie rolled her eyes.

"Eliot brought him back somehow," she said.

"But how did you know the force-field was there?" Johanna asked.

Apparently changing the subject wasn't going to work. Beetee and Archie once again exchanged worried looks. They were staring at her with baited breath. They were like President Snow waiting for her to make a mistake. No, their looks were kinder. They only looked like wolves waiting for their prey to finally die. There was only one thing left to do; lie.

"Well," she said, "When I was hit in the back of the head during my first game. I woke up without being able to hear out of my right ear. The Capitol fixed it during my prep for the victory interview with Nate."

"You mean they made it so you can hear the force-field?" Parker asked excitedly, "That's the coolest thing ever!"

"Yeah," Sophie said, nodding and smiling all the while.

Everybody seemed to take that as a reasonable answer. Archie smiled at her while Beetee kept his eyes glued on her, his expression blank. They didn't look convinced by her statement though. That worried the pregnant woman a little. Were they proud she didn't reveal the chink in the Capitol's armor? Or were they waiting to reveal the truth of her lies at a more opportune time?

That was the moment Nathan Ford decided to finally wake up. At first it was just a moan of anguish. Then the District Twelve champion raised his hand and touched his forehead. He was sitting up in an instant with panic raging in his bright blue eyes.

"Sophie!" He screamed, his head whipping right and left in search of his secret bride.

The pregnant woman immediately tried to rise at his call. Parker had to help her actually get to her feet but they made it to Nate before he could do any damage.

"Sophie," he smiled, pulling her into a tight embrace and petting her hair.

"It's alright," Sophie cooed, "Everything's fine."

"The others?" He demanded softly, greedily soaking in her features as if he feared he would never see them again.

"Mags didn't make it," Parker called off in answer. There was a bright smile on her face but her eyes were filled with sadness.

"Eliot?" Nate nodded in reply.

"He's got a rather nasty bump on the head but he'll survive," Sophie smiled at his thoughts, "You're the one we're worried about right now."

"I'll be fine," he promised her with a smile of his own, "How's the baby."

"Gave me a scare but I've been assured by our new friends that it's just as stubborn as its father," she said softly.

Nate smiled at her little joke. His hand automatically found home at her growing bump. He caressed it gently and smiled at the steady beat he could feel beneath his fingertips.

"The baby's started moving," Sophie reported with a wink, "That's how I know it's still alive."

"Good," Nate nodded encouragingly, "I'm glad."

"Tick, tock, tick tock," Wiress chimed in the distance.

Nate furrowed his brow in confusion.

"She's been doing that all day," Parker replied with a wide smile, "Archie Leech is one of our new allies! How cool is that?"

"That's great, Parker," Nate laughed, "Could you give Sophie and I a moment alone?"

"Sure," the blonde nodded.

Then she was off, running towards Archie and his building fire as if nothing had ever happened. She pulled out a knife and started marking things into the sand par Archie's instructions. She looked happy for the first time since this whole thing began.

"Archie's her favorite champion," Nate explained, "She found his victory quite justified."

Sophie nodded in agreement. She remembered the story well. It didn't hurt that everybody was required to watch the games even after their district loses their innocent tributes. Archie Leech's victory was legendary. He volunteered on his last year of reaping. His sister had been selected and for some reason he decided to risk his own life to protect her.

He failed, obviously. It was an ambush very similar to the one that happened to Sophie and Nate during their first games. Archie and his sister were gathering up supplies for a cold night. The Gamemakers were getting sick of the lack of fighting and decided to freeze the tributes into battle that year. Archie was fishing for food when it happened. His sister never stood a chance. They grabbed her from behind and ripped her throat out before she even had time to scream. Archie had barely made it out of there with his own life. He went back to extract revenge on all of the careers. His victory was made in the blood of all six career tributes. He was the first tribute of District Eleven to ever win. He mentored two other champions afterwards, the female tribute died during the initial bloodbath in the Cornucopia.

"It's very similar to what you did for me and Parker this time around," Sophie murmured softly.

"Except I'm not going let you die," Nate replied, grabbing her hand and kissing it, "And I'm going to let Parker sacrifice herself to make sure of it."

Sophie shuttered at the implications his voice conveyed. She grabbed his hand and ignored the sting of tears in her eyes. She smiled her brightest smile and turned towards him gently.

"I love you," she cooed.

Nate kissed her on the forehead in return. He slowly made his way to his feet and quickly grabbed her by the hand. Sophie allowed him to pull her up and relished the way his eyes shined at the sight of her. He pulled her close and carefully looked around. He exhaled in relief seconds later.

"You shouldn't be walking, young man," Archie called pleasantly, "You need to rest."

"Is Moreau still out there?" Nate replied.

Archie chuckled darkly at the young man's question. He nodded his head and shrugged.

"You have point," he said, "Come. We're moving to the Cornucopia."

"Why?" Sophie frowned, "Won't the others come after us? We'll be sitting ducks."

"Beetee has a theory," Archie replied, smiling all the while.

With that he stood up and started walking. Parker followed him, skipping all the way. The secret newlyweds smiled at the girl's excitement. They followed the crowd towards their destination with little complaint. Beetee, Johanna and Eliot were already there. Wiress was buzzing even more as if she was excited by something.

"Tick, tock, tick, tock," she cooed.

Parker even joined in. She grabbed the District Three Champion's hand. They were skipping and swinging arms to the rhythm of their distorted music. Everybody eyed them with different levels of disgust. It was highly disturbing to find them enjoying themselves under such gruesome circumstances. It was also quite encouraging.

"Tick, tock, tick, tock," Wiress hissed, pointing to Beetee for some reason.

"Yes," Beetee nodded, "You're right. It's a clock."

Sophie frowned at that. She twirled around to try and see what everybody was talking about. All she saw was the jungle to one side and the vast body of water on the other. The Cornucopia was in the middle sure but there was nothing else to suggest a clock.

"How can you be so sure?" Nate asked.

"Wiress keeps saying tick tock," Parker said, shrugging as if the answer was obvious.

"But how did she figure it out?" Sophie rephrased.

Beetee smiled at the girl's question. He looked towards Archie for permission. The oldest member nodded his head slightly. The District Three Champion turned towards Johanna and winked. Then he turned back to the two questioners and his smile grew.

"You actually provided the missing puzzle piece, Sophie," he said.

Sophie frowned. The child within squirmed a little in confusion. Apparently, even it couldn't figure out how she came up with the solution. Beetee wasn't angry with her confusion either. He just smiled wider and shrugged. Then he drew a circle in the sand.

"This is the arena," he explained, "The Cornucopia is in the middle as we've all obviously noticed. Now, Sophie, you said the ground falls away right before dawn?"

The pregnant woman nodded. Beetee smiled and drew a falling tree in the five o'clock spot. Then he drew a giant tree with lightning striking it.

"While you and Eliot were out, Nate, I noticed the lightning strikes the tree twice a day," Beetee continued, "The first time is usually right when we all begin to hunger for lunch. The second time is when most of us are in the deepest slumber of our sleep."

"Noon and Midnight," Eliot nodded.

"Exactly," Beetee said. Then he drew a giant wave in the ten o'clock spot, "At first I thought this wave came at odd intervals. It wasn't until Sophie told me about the ground falling away at dawn that I started thinking in terms of a clock. I noticed the lightning and how often it struck the tree. The wave seemed to have the same pattern."

"But how do you know for certain?" Nate demanded, still not convinced.

"The blood-storm," Sophie cheered, smiling at the fact that she had the answer, "It goes off about an after the lightning storm every time!"

"Yes," Beetee laughed, drawing the final piece of the puzzle immediately, "That's exactly what proved it. It confirmed my theory at least a little bit."

"But how do we know for sure?" Parker said, cringing at the thought of being wrong.

"More importantly, how do we know what other dangers are lurking?" Eliot said, putting voice to everybody's fears.

"Does it seem quiet to you?" Nate asked, his worry slipping into his voice immediately.

"Wiress has stopped singing," Sophie noted.

Parker screamed.

%

Nate twirled around with bow already aiming towards the Cornucopia. Wiress' neck was dripping crimson blood while Parker was backing away. Moreau killed their little warning bird. An arrow released and struck the District Two Champion on the cheek. It was meant for his eye but he dodged it all the same.

Parker caught her breath in the few seconds Nate bought her. She strung her own arrow and sent it flying into the District Five Champion's throat. She fell back instantly but Brutus picked up her slack. He charged towards Parker like a demon thirsting for blood. A knife embedded itself in his left shoulder, buying the Seam girl just enough time to get away. Sophie winked towards her secret husband to show the gratitude was appreciated.

"Run!" Beetee shouted from somewhere nearby.

Nate didn't take too long to think about it. He grabbed Sophie by the elbow and ran as fast as his feet would let him. He briefly noted Johanna and Eliot staying behind to fend off the others but that was it. He took his bride and fled for the jungle as quickly as his feet would allow. He raced past speeding knives and pointy spears. He zoomed away from Archie and ignored Beetee's advice to head to the lightning tree. His only concern was to get his (secret) wife out of there. He had to think about her and the child first. He would fight once she was safe. Then a hand grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and threw him to the ground.

"Stay down!" Eliot hissed.

Nate had no choice but to listen. The air once again flew from his lungs. He was struggling to regain his breath. He rolled forward and choked on a bout of sand. He tried to stand but pressure on his back prevented it. He obeyed because the fire in his lungs was really starting to get on his nerves. He turned to look for his wife and found nothing.

"Sophie!" He screamed in despair.

"I'm here, Nate," the pregnant woman whimpered.

Nate looked to his right and was relieved to find Archie and Beetee standing in front of her. She was sitting against a tree and sipping at the drink. Her brown eyes were blown wide as she tried to observe which side was winning. The District Twelve Champion looked onto the battle as well.

Johanna and Parker were fighting side by side. The District Seven Champion was swinging her ax to stop any weapons from hitting their targets while Parker shot her arrows at the enemy. Moreau, Chaos and Brutus were slowly receding into the water as if they were born to be fish within. Each of them was bleeding now and their original plans seemed to be going wrong.

"Kill them while you still have a chance!" Archie shouted, suddenly moving forward with all of his might.

Beetee and Eliot followed him at a quick pace. Nate jumped to his feet and grabbed his wife. He tugged her hand and rushed towards their allies with battle ready muscles. He picked up a couple of the spears that were thrown their way and pushed Sophie between himself and Parker. He was going to make certain Moreau's group didn't have any more members pouring out of the jungle. Then a giant pop sounded.

The world began to spin at a fast pace. The young man struggled to stay on his feet, unsure if it was the world itself or his own mind. His fears were confirmed when he fell to the ground and rolled towards the water. He speared the ground to keep himself from falling victim to the sea. That was when he noticed Sophie was also on the ground, Eliot bent over her to keep them both from flying away. Parker was holding onto the Golden Horn of the Cornucopia, squealing in delight at the flying sensation she was probably experiencing. Archie and Johanna were scrambling to find some proper footing in the twirling sand. Beetee wasn't so lucky. He was in the water, struggling to work the purple mechanism that was barely keeping him afloat.

And just as Nate felt his hands slipping off of the spear handles, the spinning stopped. Everybody flew to the ground with different levels of thumps and bumps. Johanna actually fell face first and didn't move. Parker, always like a cat, fell to her feet and started running towards Eliot and Sophie. Luckily, the District Four Champion fell away from the pregnant woman.

"Excuse me," Beetee called up to the crowd, "Could somebody help me out?"

Nate rolled his eyes. He jumped to his feet, ignoring the dizzy feeling, and raced to the District Three Champion's aid.

"Here," he said, holding out his hand, "I'll pull you up."

It took a lot of surprising work. Beetee wasn't as light as he initially thought. The floatation device seemed to have added a solid thirty pounds added on top of the extra ten pounds of water weight. When the older man finally came out of the water, it was with such a loud pop that everybody braced themselves for another twirl around the beach. Of course, Nate was busy regaining his breath once again. Beetee fell on top of him.

"Sorry," he apologized, dusting himself off with a struggle. Apparently he couldn't adjust to the added weight either.

"No problem," Nate huffed when air came into his lungs again.

He rolled to his side and managed to find his footing. Then he felt two bodies slam into him from both sides. He stumbled with the added weight of Sophie and Parker, squeezing him tight. Thankfully they were keeping him upright this time around.

"So," Nate coughed out, "What happens now?"

"Yeah," Parker agreed, refusing to release either of her family members any time soon, "How do we know that where we go next won't lead to our death?"

"We don't," Beetee shrugged, "We're just going to have to choose and hope for the best."

"We'll find our bearings again when the lightning and wave come along," Archie said, looking far more confident in their current situation than everybody else.

"Maybe," Sophie said, shaking her head, "For all we know turning the Cornucopia could have completely reorganized the entire thing."

Beetee smiled at the pregnant woman's statement. He and Archie shared a very proud look between each other. Nate couldn't help but smile in pride himself. Apparently Sophie was able to charm anybody just by talking.

"Jimmy and Haymitch told us you had a knack for thinking on your feet," Archie smiled.

Sophie beamed at the compliment.

"So what do we do now?" Parker asked.

"Now?" Archie laughed, "Now we find a place to build camp."

"Right," Eliot nodded, immediately taking charge for a reason Nate couldn't quite understand. Apparently he was a bit more than muscle. Archie seemed highly interested in what the guy had to say and everything. "We should go into the jungle. I think that would be the safest bet. But please try to stay as far away from the giant wave as possible."

"And the collapsing Earth," Sophie agreed, "The baby is still upset over that one."

"Let's go over there!" Parker called with glee.

Her arm was extended towards an area as far away from the Cornucopia as physically possible. There were a group of mutated monkeys hanging from a tree. They seemed quite harmless but the Gamemakers were known for making even the most gentle of creatures monstrous. Nate still remembered his last games and how close he came to death at the mouth of a giant bunny rabbit. They would have to be very cautious when they approached the fuzzy animals of this Quarter Quell.

"We'll wait for them to leave before we head over," Archie nodded, thinking along the same train tracks as Nate thankfully, "Nice eyes, kiddo."

Parker beamed at the compliment. Nate scowled. Kiddo? What right did Archie Leech have to call his Parker, Nathan Ford's Parker, kiddo? The name alone sent nothing but bitter thoughts into his young mind. It took him months just to get that kind of dazzling smile out of the little Seam girl. Archie Leech had only known her for a matter of days and had her smiling and acting like a normal, happy girl. It took the District Eleven Champion no effort at all to gain her trust. It wasn't fair. Of course, the jealousy tasted bitter in the back of the District Twelve Champion's throat.

Sophie placed a soft hand on his cheek. She smiled towards him as if she understood the thoughts roaming his mind. Her eyes glinted with happiness. She looked towards the District Eleven Champion and the blonde at his side. Then she allowed a chuckle to take over her lips when she turned back to him. Yep, she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Don't worry," she said, "You're still number one in her book."

"Shut up," Nate said, grinning despite himself.

"They're gone!" Parker cheered.

She raced towards the newlyweds with renewed vigor. Then she grabbed both of their hands and started dragging them to the destination, proving Sophie's point almost immediately.

"We can strategize and eat there," the girl purred.

Nate and Sophie giggled at the girl's insistence. Then the male tribute of District Twelve wrestled his hand free so he could make certain their backs were covered. Eliot was doing the same while the others followed Parker. Everybody was on edge since the attack, but Moreau seemed uninterested in taking down their group at the moment.

"Alright so what's the plan?" Parker asked.

She had blessedly waited until everybody was close enough to hear. Then she forced Sophie to sit and cuddled into her with the obvious intention of keeping her from running away. Sophie, thankfully, didn't seem to mind. She was getting pay back by braiding the blonde's long, lustrous hair. Parker didn't look happy but she allowed it to happen without complaint.

"I'm hungry," Sophie replied, "We should eat before we think about a plan. We have a better chance of survival that way."

"You just ate an hour and a half ago," Eliot growled in awe of her statement.

"She's pregnant, dummy," Johanna purred, "She's supposed to eat every five minutes not be competing in a game of life."

Every eye turned towards the District Seven Champion with different looks of worry. Johanna, for her part, just shrugged her shoulders and handed over some roasted nuts.

"Here," she said, "This will keep you from eating us while Eliot and Nate go get you food."

"Why do I have to go?" Eliot complained.

"Because you were mean to her," Johanna replied with a snake-like grin and a wink.

"Well why does Nate have to go?" Eliot asked back, irritation slowly sinking into his voice.

"Because he's the one who couldn't keep it in his pants and knocked her up," Johanna smiled.

Everybody groaned at the image she created. Nate felt his ears grow hot in embarrassment. He looked over and observed Sophie turning a bright shade of pink as well. Parker was looking between the two with narrowed eyes. She looked thoroughly confused by what the District Seven tribute said. In fact, she kept pestering Johanna to tell her what it meant.

"Johanna," Archie interrupted, "Why don't you gather up some water for all of us to drink while Nate and Eliot go out on their hunt?"

The woman had opened her mouth to reply to Parker's questions. There was an evil glint in her eyes and her lips were tilted upward. She looked as though she was about to describe the event in great detail. It was only a pure miracle that Parker didn't pout when Archie interrupted their exchange.

"Fine," Johanna growled, "but I expect proper compensation for the trouble I have to go through to pull this crap off."

"Of course," Archie smiled dangerously.

The woman disappeared into the jungle immediately. Parker, her hair only half-way braided, began to fidget. She was twirling her thumbs and looking for an exit. She jumped to her feet the moment Sophie paused. She picked up her bow and grabbed a woven bowl.

"I'll help her," she proposed.

"No!" Everybody shouted at once.

The girl pouted but obeyed. She bounced back on to the ground and cuddled up to Sophie again. The pregnant woman immediately worked on finishing the braids. Nobody knew how much longer Parker would last under the conditions.

"Can I go with Nate and Eliot?" She asked.

"How about you stay here, Parker?" Sophie demanded, her voice gentle and soothing everybody's frayed nerves, "You can keep watch while Beetee and Archie start with the plans for getting rid of the other tributes."

"Remember your enemy, Sophie," Nate said immediately.

The pregnant woman turned towards him, her eyebrows furrowed in question. She said nothing else. All she had to do was look at him and the young man from District Twelve knew exactly what she was saying.

"Haymitch told me that before I came to the arena," Nate shrugged, "I figured you would like to hear it as well."

"In the arena they are our enemies, Nate," Sophie snipped, her voice cool like a whip.

Eliot cleared his throat.

"I believe people are getting hungry, Nate," he said.

"Right," Nate nodded.

He grabbed his bow and stood to his feet. He planted a quick kiss on Sophie's head. After pulling Parker to the side with strict instructions to protect Sophie at all costs, he followed Eliot into the jungle.

"Don't slow me down," Eliot barked the moment they were out of earshot.

Nate rolled his eyes but nodded anyway. Time stood still as the two made quick work of tracking prey. They were too weak to climb the trees still but Nate's trusty bow made that problem obsolete. A possem-esque animal fell immediately at his arrow's deadly scream. His mark was true as it always was. The animal was hit directly in the eye. It never stood a chance.

"Think that should be enough?" Eliot asked, holding up two small birds of his own.

Nate shrugged.

"It certainly couldn't hurt to get one more," he said.

He already had a squirrel mutt in mind. He watched as Eliot's eyes followed his pointed bow. The District Four Champion nodded his head and moved to circle around. He was going to force the squirrel back and into death's embrace.

Nate pulled back the arrow's nock. He waited for the perfect time. Eliot did an amazing job of throwing his trident so it would barely miss the little rodent. A few more yards and the squirrel would be theirs. The bow quivered in excitement as the squirrel's front paw fell into alignment. The arrow loosed.

Then Parker screamed.


	10. Screaming Terror

**A/N:** _I'm giving you two because it's taken me so long to update. Enjoy!_

Nate raced through the jungle as quickly as his feet would let him. Eliot was hot on his heels, proof that he had heard the same tiny yelp of pain. Nate raged at how far away from camp they were. What a mistake they had made! They didn't know all of the dangers lurking in the arena. They should have never climbed so deeply into the jungle. Now their allies were doomed.

Parker screamed in torture once again.

Nate skid on fallen tree leaves. He fell to the ground on his left and cursed his clumsy nature. Parker's screams echoed through a clearing not too far away. Why she was so far away from camp herself didn't matter. Nate had to get to her as quickly as her feet would let her.

"Parker!" He yelled, racing towards the clearing at top speed, "I'm coming, Parker!"

His chest ached and his lungs felt like giant weights. Fire was burning in his throat once again but he ignored it. He had to get to Parker. He had to make certain she was safe. He couldn't let her die. She was his responsibility. Another scream erupted through the jungle. Nate's heart stopped. That scream belonged to Sophie. He raced towards the source with everything he had left.

Nate entered the clearing with every expectation of finding blood everywhere. He even expected Moreau to grab him from behind and win the games right then and there. Instead he found nothing. No dead bodies. No blood smears or empty eyes. There was nothing. The clearing was empty of all human life.

"Sophie!" Nate screamed, horror filling his every nerve, "Parker! Where are you?"

Parker screamed again.

Nate looked up with fear heavy in his heart. Yet the fear only doubled as nothing appeared. Parker's broken body wasn't hanging above his head. Her neck wasn't dangling from a string like the tribute from District Five had been during his first games. There was nothing. Sophie and Parker were nowhere nearby.

Another scream sounded off.

This one confused the young man of District Twelve. His eyebrows furrowed and he searched for the source. The same unusual voice screamed again. This time though, it was nearby. In fact, it was in the tree. It had to be.

Nate twirled to his left and gaped. There was nothing in the trees, in any of them. The only sign of life were the annoying birds above his head. All three of them were staring down at him, their beaks smiling. There was nothing but those horrible black birds with giant crests. The bird, as if in reply, opened its mouth and let out a shriek of horror.

"Aimee!" Eliot yelled, bursting through the thicket of bushes a few trees over.

He looked just as worried as Nate was.

"Aimee!" He repeated, "Where is she, Nate?"

"Up there," Nate said, pointing straight at the bird as he spoke, "It's the bird. Aimee isn't screaming."

"Oh god," Eliot groaned, staring at the bird with some newfound horror.

"What?" Nate rasped when the younger man refused to continue.

"That's a Jabberjay!" Eliot pointed out.

Nate stared at him in confusion. What was so important that it was a Jabberjay? Parker's scream sounded off again. This time the bird was close enough for Nate to see. It was on a branch not too far above Eliot's head. It kept making the same, screeching sound. The man from District Twelve drew the line when another bird showed up beside it. It screamed the exact same way Sophie did. Even knowing it wasn't his wife didn't make a difference. The same effect of crawlers creeping up his spine still happened as if the woman was before him losing her life.

"Duck!" Nate ordered, drawing his bow and firing off on the evil bird with no other thought but shutting it up in mind.

The bird still screamed like Sophie when it died. He didn't care, really. He just grabbed another couple of arrows and took care of its friends. The noises blessedly stopped. Nate chased after the birds with every intention of eating them for their meal. He removed his arrows, cleaned them and placed them back in their pack.

"There," Nate sighed in relief, "That's the end of them. We should get back before the others start to worry. Sophie's probably starving by now."

"Nate, that was a Jabberjay," Eliot groaned, frozen to the spot in terror.

"So?" Nate asked, catching something in his tone but not quite sure what.

"So," Eliot breathed in frustration, sounding for all the world as if he was talking to a child instead of a grown man, "What do Jabberjay's do, Nate?"

That was an easy question. They were Capitol mutts that had the ability to mimic entire conversations. The Capitol used them during the war to spy on enemy and rebel forces. In fact, the rebels used that very skill against them and fed the Jabberjay's false information. The Capitol figured out what happened and abandoned the things to die. That plan backfired when the birds mated with female mockingbirds and created a brand new species of birds. They led to the very birth of Sophie's affectionately called robbingjay. But what was so important about…?

"They mimic things they've heard!" Nate groaned.

Eliot nodded. "Which means that what we heard is real, Nate!"

As if in reply, another bird announced its presence with a screech that sounded exactly like Jimmy Ford. Nate looked up with every intention of killing the thing and ending the whole thing. Unfortunately, there were far too many birds. Nothing but a dozen gaggles of the birds covered the branches above their heads. Each and every one of them appeared to be smiling viciously at the tributes in their clearing. Then as one they each opened their mouths and let out their evil cry. The two tributes had no choice. They covered their ears to soften the sound. Then they ran.

"The others must be in trouble," Nate shouted, giving up on covering his ears in favor of pumping his arms for speed.

"I haven't heard a canon sound," Eliot called back.

Nate felt his heart soar at that. Sophie and Parker weren't dead. That was good news. But what about Jimmy? He wasn't in the arena like the others. He couldn't be rescued from whatever torture he was experiencing. His scream seemed to be the loudest of all the echoing voices. The birds weren't letting up or anything. They just kept repeating the cries of pain, one right after the other a never ending sound of heartbreak. The only hope in the world was to make it to the beach in time. If only Eliot was so lucky.

"I'm sorry," the District Four Tribute sobbed, "I'm so sorry."

They rushed through the jungle faster than they had ever ran before. They jumped over stumps and avoided flocks as often as they could. The birds were everywhere, on every corner, in every tree. They were inescapable. Nate would fire at one with an arrow just to buy a moment of peace. Unfortunately the birds didn't seem to mine their fallen comrades. Every time one fell three more came to take its place, a hydra of terrified screams.

Finally, a light appeared at the end of the tree tunnel. Eliot rushed towards it as if it were a godsend. He bent his head and pushed himself forward. Nate nearly yelped in joy when he noticed a group outside of the wicked trees. Sophie and Parker stood just where grass met sand. They looked alive and healthy. There wasn't a scratch on them. Yet, they weren't rushing towards them to reassure him of their survival.

_Something's wrong_, Nate thought. He came to an abrupt stop only moments before Eliot. That eerie feeling that had been plaguing him since the Jabberjays arrived grew stronger with every breath. Something was wrong because Sophie was shouting and he couldn't hear a word she said. All he could hear were her screams mimicked by a bird. Then Eliot bounced into a wall and collapsed on the ground.

Nate rushed towards him in worry. Eliot's nose was gushing crimson liquid, hinting at a break. His eyes were bloodshot from pain. But his hands flung to his ears and tears formed in those bloodshot eyes. He looked as though he was experiencing nothing but pure pain.

"We're trapped," he whimpered.

Nate stared at him for a few minutes in disbelief. Then he immediately raced towards Sophie to ask for help. His chest wasn't healed enough to carry the other man out of this trap. He rushed towards Sophie and felt a smack on his own face. The next thing he knew he was on his butt, staring up at her, his head swimming. Sophie's mouth was moving and her palms were flat across some invisible force.

_It's a clear wall_, he cursed. He stood up and tried beating through the door. He saw tears of worry develop in his wife's eyes and struggled harder. Her lips were moving frequently but he couldn't hear her. All he could hear were the terrible sounds of the Jabberjays' torturous screams. It was taking everything for him to not be convinced that the Sophie before him wasn't just a hallucination.

One of the birds got brave. It leapt to the branch closest to the young man's ear and opened its mouth wide. The sound that came out was nothing but Sophie's gorgeous voice sounding off in pure anguish. It was enough to set Nate in a different direction altogether.

His mind suddenly swirled with images of his life before the games and President Snow's evil presence. His thoughts were consumed with images of his mother. He could envision her long, red hair and her cool green eyes. It was so unfortunate that both of her children ended up inheriting their father's eyes. Her bright green eyes were once so full of light. Even Jimmy Ford couldn't keep that light out of her eyes. Her laugh sounded like music and her skin shined like the sun everywhere she went. Her lips were always ruby red and she was never seen in anything but a dress.

Her green eyes were so dark. That was the thing Nate remembered most when the Peace Keepers brought her dead, broken home. All he could think about was how dark and grim they were. The light was gone completely and it was never returning. That had to be why Jimmy lost his mind. He certainly picked up drinking his fortune away right after they buried her in the ground. He hated looking at his children because of her death. He stopped taking care of himself and his children when his wife passed. Life had never been the same since then.

"No!" Nate screamed, making the memories stop before they turned to darker times.

The bird squawked again. Nate snapped. He snatched at the animal, grabbing it by the throat and removing it from the tree. The other birds were too busy to help their fallen comrade. They were continuing the terrifying screams. The District Twelve Champion didn't care. He wrangled the bird's neck and grasped it until the stupid thing stopped using Sophie's voice. I was already too late.

Memories were flooding Nate's mind. All he could see were images of horror. He was having flashbacks of the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games. Sophie was floating in a patch of wet sand. Her tiny frame was slipping deeper and deeper into the quicksand despite her district partner's efforts.

"No!" Nate screamed, cuffing his ears to get rid of the noise.

Sophie was pressing herself into the invisible field. Her mouth was moving and her eyes were filled with unshed tears. Her growing belly was pressed into the wall and she looked worried. Her palms were flat against the clear wall. She was banging on the thing, trying to get to him and rescue from his newest horror. She was scared, yes, but she was whole. She wasn't in danger. She wasn't drowning.

Yet, Nate's eyes refused to believe. All he could see was Sophie's pale, tiny form slipping into the depths of sand. James, her district partner, was trying to spear him to death. He wanted to save Sophie, be her knight in shining white armor. His brown eyes wanted nothing more than to kill the boy who would be his end.

"Nate, make it stop!" Eliot begged in agony.

He was cringing at the wall. His hands were covering his ears and he was slamming his head to make the sound go away. Tears cascaded down his face despite his superior strength. Of course, he didn't have the same comfort Nate did. His Aimee wasn't right there in front of him, able to be seen and prove she was alive and well. No, he only had the Jabberjay's evil voice repeating her cries of torture.

"It's not real, Eliot," Nate tried, "They're safe."

"No," Eliot shook his head, "They've got her. They've got her and they're never going to let her go! Aimee, my poor sweet Aimee."

"Eliot," Nate choked.

He suddenly had a vision of Parker being slashed by a Peace Keeper. It was almost as soon as he had returned. District Twelve had gained a brand new Head Peace Keeper. Something happened to Darius, he had no idea what. All he knew was that a week after his return, Parker was punched for bringing a turkey into the square. The new guy was on the verge of flogging her in front of everybody by the time he got there. Haymitch had barely convinced the man about the punishment he would receive from the Capitol if her scars weren't healed in time for the victory tour.

Jimmy's screams filled the air again. Nate tried to ignore them by keeping his eyes on Sophie. He was slumped against the wall now, and so was she. Their palms were glued against the wall, eyes refusing to separate. The noise kept screeching into his ear but she was the rock he needed to get through. Parker was holding onto his wife's shoulders to keep herself from trying to burst through again.

"Stop!" Eliot called for the hundredth time.

He was done slamming his head into the wall now. Instead he was just sitting against a tree and humming a mournful tune to himself. It sounded very similar to The Hanging Tree. But that was impossible. That was illegal to sing in all the districts. It had something to do with the rebellion and led to the punishment of the games being brought to every child for seventy-five years. Nobody was allowed to sing that song any more than they were allowed to speak out against the Capitol.

It felt like an eternity before the birds stopped. The invisible force keeping him away from his wife disappeared. He was swallowed whole by her welcoming arms.

"Shh," Sophie cooed into his ear, "You're safe now. Nobody's going to hurt you now. I'm here."

Nate felt the tears prickling at his eyes. He ignored them by pulling his wife into a giant hug. He kissed her on the lips, her neck, the side of his head and anywhere else his lips wanted to. He needed to make certain she was fine. He had to know she was real. He wouldn't be able to survive anything else.

"Jimmy!" Nate coughed out in misery, clinging to Sophie like a dying man, "They've got Jimmy! They're torturing my father, Soph!"

"No," she cooed, rubbing his crown like a mother would to sooth an ailing child, "Interviews, Nate."

"What?" Nate asked.

He couldn't help but feel confused by her soothing words. All he could think about were the many ways the Capitol destroyed his family. Images of his mother's death were still flashing in his mind. Adrienne's death as it was televised for all of Panem was on loop in his mind's eye. He could only imagine what kind of torture they would put a champion through.

"What do they do during the final eight of every game, Nate?" Sophie asked, her voice pitching low and soft to penetrate through the horrors of his mind.

Nate stared at her for a few minutes. His arms tightened around her widening hips and he cuddled into her neck. He took in her special scent, a mixture of wood and stone, and thought about her words. The answer was easy enough. The Capitol interviewed the final eight tribute's families. They asked them pointless questions about how they felt about their child's success so far. Then they would demand to know what they would do once their tribute came home. They had to have interviewed Parker and Jimmy during his games. Sophie's voice wasn't very difficult to obtain either. They had a plentitude of interviews to choose from.

"They manipulated the voices," he cheered, springing up to smile at the woman he loved.

"That's right," Sophie nodded, "Jimmy is probably sitting in the hotel room, or wherever the mentors go during the games, finding ways to get us out of the arena as soon as possible."

"Eliot, it wasn't real," Nate called, "They don't have Aimee."

"Yeah, yeah," Eliot hummed, effectively avoiding eye contact with everybody, "I heard you the first time, Ford!"

Nate smiled at his friend's statement. He tightened his grip on Sophie's waist and planted a kiss on her head. After the horrible images that flooded his mind, he wasn't up for releasing his bride any time soon. All he wanted to do was curl up by her side and never leave. Unfortunately that wasn't an option. And soon it would never be again.

"So," Parker asked, sounding perfectly indifferent to everything that went down, "Where's the food?"

Sophie looked at her reproachfully for the question. Nate left because it was a relief to return to normal after such an experience. He stood to his full height and pulled the Seam girl into his arms as tightly as possible. He ignored the little squeak of surprise that escaped through her lips. He just wrapped her into the tightest hug he could come up with and laughed. Archie and Beetee were looking at him with worry. Then they turned to Sophie, who was smiling in happiness, and decided it wasn't a sign of insanity after all. They relaxed considerably. Johanna seemed to be the only one in a sour mood now.

"I guess I have to do everything myself," she huffed, "I'll be back with the food since Eliot and Nate can't handle it without getting into trouble."

"Be careful," Nate warned softly, "Those birds could still come back."

"It's alright," she shrugged, "There's nobody I love."

With that she was gone, disappearing into the jungle of dense trees and brush as if she belonged there. Even her flaming red locks were nowhere to be found and Nathan's eyes were that of a trained hunter. He felt a touch of sadness at her words though. What kind of life would it be to have nobody to love?

"Ow!" Nate growled.

He turned towards Parker with angry eyes. The seam girl just smiled brightly at him, her pointer finger still sticking into his flesh. The fire that tiny poke create was infuriating. Couldn't he go one minute without feeling as though his lungs were about to fall out of his body?

"See," Parker said, "I told you it still hurts."

"Well," Sophie laughed mockingly, "if he would just sit down and actually rest instead of running around throughout the entire arena, he'd be fine."

"Yeah," Nate chuckled with them, "and how is that sitting around and not doing anything to aggravate the baby going, Soph?"

"It's not my fault your child has a short attention span," she replied with a wink.

"Are you sure it's the kid and not a fidgety mother?" Eliot asked right on cue, "I can literally count on one hand how many times you sat down and took a rest since this game began!"

A canon sounded.


	11. Calming Murder

**A/N:** _Warning! This has got some dark content towards the end. Readers be advised that it is rated T for these dark themes. Thank you very much and enjoy!_

Eliot jumped to his feet at the canon's wicked sound.

"Johanna?" He asked.

"It couldn't be," Archie shook his head, "We already know what's in there."

"Another tribute could have attacked her," Parker suggested quietly.

Everybody went quiet at the Seam girl's words. Sophie felt Nate pull her closer to his chest. She could only imagine the thoughts whirling through his mind. He probably blamed himself for a death they weren't even sure happened. His breath hitched every few seconds, his body proving that he wasn't quite healed yet. She could feel his heartbeat hammering through his fingertips. Eliot swayed every few seconds, his eyes drooping slightly. They both hadn't been walking for very long before the day's events decided to happen. They needed rest soon. Another attack was almost certain to kill them.

Brush nearby began to shake with effort. Parker drew an arrow on her bow just in case. A few flecks of red hair appeared right before Johanna Mason herself was revealed. She held in her hands several dead Jabberjays and one giant possum.

"We lucked out," she said, "Nobody seemed interested in our dinner. Too bad, I only got to kill one squirrel."

"Did you hear the canon?" Eliot demanded, taking the dead animals to prep them for their meal.

"Yeah but I figured that there would have been more if it was one of you," she shrugged in reply.

"Look!" Parker squealed, pointing towards another area in the back of the arena.

Everybody turned as one to observe a hovercraft in the air. It lowered down one of its long metal grips to claim the dead body. Then another descended, and another and another. Five arms in total grabbed for the ground. Sophie frowned in confusion as she tried to figure out why only one canon sounded. The answer came moments later when several detached body parts disappeared into the hovercraft. Then that too disappeared into thin air.

"Mark that as area on our clock," Archie ordered softly, "and make certain nobody goes anywhere near it."

"Got it," Beetee nodded.

He immediately began sketching something onto his giant leaf. Sophie felt more than saw Nate's head lean forward in curiosity. She could practically feel the cogs of his mind working to figure out what it was. She chuckled softly and decided to indulge him.

"Beetee decided to make us a more permanent map than the one we had before," she explained, "He's already marked the Jabberjays."

"But how does he know the time?" Nate whispered.

"The wave crashed as soon as you two left," she said, "We figured out that it comes in the three o'clock section of the arena. The Jabberjays appeared at four."

"So next up is the disappearing ground," Nate nodded.

Sophie nodded her head and smiled at his brilliant mind. She cuddled up to him and squeezed tight. The child in her womb was starting to become quite persistent. It was making the hunger grow to an excruciating pain. Pretty soon she was going to start gnawing on tree bark just to make it go away. The nuts Johanna provided turned out to be nothing but a giant disappointment. She was starving and there seemed no end in sight.

"I have deduced that the monkeys appear at the two o'clock or two thirty slot," Beetee added smoothly, "We will have to move a few yards to avoid them during the night."

"I like that plan," Eliot cheered, "Honestly I like any plan that avoids Capitol mutts at any and all times. If we could, I would like to avoid the lightning tree as well."

"I've got plans for that tree actually," Archie said.

"Me too," Beetee agreed, "but those can wait for dinner to finish."

The annoying chime of a silver parachute stopped Sophie's stomach from complaining about the lack of food. It had a giant three carved into its side and floated into Beetee's extended arms. It was a basket stuffed full of drop biscuits. The child practically jumped in glee at the sweet smell of the delicious things. Sophie couldn't help but agree. Those biscuits were absolutely perfect for the long wait.

"Twenty-four total," Archie counted out.

He and Beetee exchanged a quick, worried look. Eliot and Johanna also seemed to make the same odd exchange. Sophie watched them both with highly divided attention. She didn't care how many there were. She just wanted to eat, but nobody seemed interested in giving the pregnant woman food. She had to struggle with herself just to keep from stealing all of the delicious treats away. Nate blessedly tightened his hold on her waist, reading her mind and effectively acting accordingly.

"That's three each with three left over," Parker informed the group excitedly, "That's a feast!"

"Sophie can have the extras," Eliot proposed with a droopy smile, "She is eating for two and everything."

"Well, they are her favorite," Nate laughed, his voice sounding like music to Sophie's ears.

"I'll do anything as long as she promises not to eat me!" Johanna replied her arms raised high in surrender.

Archie and Eliot glared at her.

"What?" She asked, "She's scary when she hasn't eaten in a while. She drank five bowls of water before the rest of us could stop her. She even hissed like a cat when I tried to take the fourth one away."

"She's our secret weapon against Moreau and Chaos," Eliot joked, "We'll just piss her off and unleash her on him. He won't know what to do."

"Why am I the one being picked on?" Sophie moaned, "Nate and Eliot are the ones who keep getting themselves into trouble. All I am is hungry all the time."

"Exactly," Eliot laughed, "It takes a village just to keep you fed."

"But we wouldn't have it any other way," Archie said, winking at her playfully.

"Quick," Johanna shouted, giggling all the while, "Hand her a biscuit before she eats us all!"

Sophie sulked, sticking her tongue out to the District Seven tribute as she did it. Then she slowly inched herself, and Nate, closer to the biscuits. Nate chuckled at her subtlety. He scooped her into his arms and moved closer to the group. Archie caught onto what he was trying to do and handed Sophie two biscuits. She munched on them hungrily, devouring them in seconds as if she hadn't eaten in years.

That was the only good thing about this arena. It was plentiful in its amount of edible creatures. The craving woman never ran out of things to feed her growing appetite. In fact, she was already dreaming about the delicious critters roaming around in the water. Her netting was almost complete and soon they would all enjoy her labor's feast, especially her. The problem was when she wanted something sweet.

"Do you think one of our sponsors could send something sweet next time?" She asked, as quietly as possible.

Archie just burst into a fit of laughter at the girl's thoughts. Beetee looked slightly amused but made no move to roar as Archie was. No, the old man brought everybody's attention his way simply with his boisterous laugh. Johanna and Eliot tensed, prepared for battle in case the man brought unwanted attention their way. Instead, there was nothing but Archie's laugh and everybody else's confusion.

"What?" Parker demanded, exasperation written all over her features.

"Sophie," Archie chuckled, "she reminds me of my wife. She was the same way when she was pregnant with our little girl."

"See, Soph," Nate said, nudging her gently in the shoulder, "It's a girl. This proves it."

"Could we quiet down a bit?" Eliot growled, "I think I saw something in the distance. Prepare to move. This could get ugly."

"Relax, Eliot," Johanna sighed, thumping him on the back with a smile, "It's just the Morphling twins. They've been dodging in and out of the jungle all day. I saw them earlier. They're both busy eating nuts and painting with berries. They're fine."

"And dinner is ready," Archie called.

Sophie felt her heart soar at the news. She was the first to get there but she was polite enough to wait for everybody else to get served first. Nobody commented on her sudden eagerness to share. Eliot and Johanna only shared knowing smirks while everybody else tried to ignore her willingness to share. Nate and Parker just made a big show of piling their plates and sneaking her food whenever somebody wasn't looking. Unfortunately, the child was under the impression that the bountiful food wasn't bountiful enough.

"Ugh, I'm still hungry!" Sophie complained, "When does the hunger stop?"

"If memory serves," Archie chuckled, finding her far too amusing for her liking, "Not until the child decides it's time to be born."

Sophie groaned at the idea.

"Alright," the District Eleven Champion cried, "I think it's time we get some shut eye. Tomorrow we will begin working on successfully implementing our plan."

"And what exactly is that?" Parker hummed, "You didn't exactly tell us."

"I have wire," Beetee explained, "I found it in the basket with the biscuits. That changes plans quite a bit."

"How so?" The girl asked.

"We'll discuss it later," Archie said, looking all around with a suspicious eye. "I don't want any of enemies listening in on our plans."

The Blonde Seam girl nodded her head in understanding. She immediately cozied up to Eliot and poked him in the shoulder. He hissed in pain and glared daggers at her. The girl just smiled and poked him again. Johanna giggled at the girl's actions. The redhead immediately joined in on the poke fest. The more Eliot growled, the more the girls would giggle. Nate rolled his eyes and seemed to have made a decision about their fun.

"Sophie and I will take the first shift of watch tonight," he said.

Everybody's expressions turned dark. Well, Archie, Beetee and Parker looked on the verge of killing him. Eliot arched an eyebrow while twirling his trident. Johanna was smiling quite broadly, her bursts of giggles barely contained.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Archie asked, his eyes hinting at his chest injury.

"Don't worry," Sophie sighed, "I'll make certain he doesn't die a slow painful death."

"And who's going to take care of that baby of yours?" Beetee questioned back.

"I'll stay up to save their pathetic rumps," Eliot said, "It's not like I'm getting any sleep anyway."

"You got plenty of that days ago," Johanna giggled, "You might as well have ran away screaming you were so useless. It's about time you did some real work around here."

"Excuse me?" Eliot growled, "Who saved them during the initial attack? Who's been working with them since the whole beginning, Mason? It certainly wasn't you!"

"Alright, that's enough," Archie groaned, "Eliot, you will help our youngest champions on watch tonight. It's not that I don't trust you, Nate. I would just rest easier knowing you have some extra help in the event Sophie has complications with the baby. Eliot has helped many pregnant women in his district."

"Slept with them too," Johanna said, chuckling quietly.

"We are not getting into this argument again," Eliot said, "Get to bed, Mason. The sooner you are done sleeping, the sooner I can get some actual rest. I haven't been able to sleep a wink all Quell."

Everybody chuckled at the district four champion's mutterings. He didn't even seem to notice Parker and Johanna making fun of him as his rant continued to grow. No, he just kept grumbling and growling until everybody was in their proper place and on their way into dream land. Then he was alone, giving the two newlyweds their privacy as they kept watch for enemies.

Sophie watched her husband carefully. Their fingers were entwined as they watched over their slumbering teammates. Visions of their first game kept flashing in her mind. They never really got moments like this. They were always running away from danger or fighting for survival. They never had time to sit and talk except at dinner. Then Maggie died and everything changed.

Now everything was changing for a whole new reason.

"I don't want you to die," Sophie moaned, finally releasing her thoughts.

Nate turned towards his secret wife with sadness in his eyes. His grip on her hand grew tighter and he bent down to kiss her fingers. Then his arm came out of nowhere wrapping her closer to him. His chin fell on top of her head in an instant, bringing comfort the only way he could.

Sophie felt tears prickle her eyes. She shook her head with the emotions and allowed him to distract her with comfort. She curled into his side and tried to think about anything but the end of the games. She shook her head again and pulled her secret husband tighter.

"Please," she begged.

Nate pushed her away at that one simple word. He grabbed ahold of her cheeks and wiped away the salty tears making a mess there. He placed a gentle kiss upon her brow and pulled her into his side, looking towards their surroundings to make sure nothing was there. They were alone, except for the giant buzz of cameras watching, the feeling of them creeping up their spines.

"We have to think about the baby," he said, his voice sounding calm and much older than it ever had before. His fingers were working their way through invisible knots in her hair, distracting her from their current situation slightly.

"The baby needs its father," she replied.

She felt his hand pause briefly while streaming through her hair. A kiss was quickly placed on the top of her head to replace the display. Then he was back to squeezing her to his side and pretending their world wasn't about to end.

"I'm not losing you or that baby, Sophie," he said, his voice with just a touch of anger, "I can't."

Sophie pushed away, unnerved by his gall. She scowled at the sad smile on his face. The baby was suddenly twisting and turning, uncomfortable with the war of emotions its mother was experiencing. Her hand raced towards the baby bump and caressed it softly. The baby responded to the comfort with a ceasing of movement.

"I can't lose you, Nate," she said, the fight suddenly leaving her, "but that's what you're asking me to do. You're asking me to let them have you and Parker. You're asking me to let President Snow and the Capitol win."

Nate flinched at that. He was probably thinking about the dozens of cameras that were watching their every move. Sophie didn't really care about the cameras or President Snow's anger. Her husband needed to know the truth and telling him was the only way to do it.

"Sophie…" Nate tried.

"No," she said, shaking her head in dismay, "No, you need to live. You need to help me with this baby. I don't want to raise it on my own. There is a little boy or a little girl growing inside me and they are going to want to know about their daddy. How am I supposed to tell them that Daddy died to make certain they were born?"

"You look them in the eye and tell that little baby girl or boy that their Daddy loved them so much he couldn't think of anything else but keeping them and their Momma safe," Nate purred, grabbing her hands and forcing her to deal with the situation, "You tell our child what we did during the games, what we became. Then you tell them about this moment and let them know that there was no choice. You let that baby of ours know that it was so loved people willingly died so it may live."

"But only you and Parker are going to die for the baby," Sophie sighed, feeling all hope drain out of her at his words.

"We'll see," he said, an enigmatic smile starting to dawn upon his face.

The District One Champion wanted to punch him for the smug look. Instead she grabbed him in a death grip and held on with all of her might. Tears poured from her eyes as she continued to think about the endgame result. She felt his arms wrap around her, offering what little support he could. Nate knew he was the cause of her suffering, he and Parker. How was she supposed to survive knowing they died for her?

"Just think about our baby, Sophie," Nate whispered into her ear, "Think about that little piece of both of us growing inside of you. Everything will be worth it for our child. I promise. The world is going to benefit from that child. You're going to be a great mother and there is no one else in all of Panem I would want for the job. Please, do this for me. Please don't fight."

"I always fight," Sophie coughed, laughing despite herself.

"Exactly," Nate laughed, enjoying her attitude like a dead man waiting, "It's your turn to be protected."

"You have a very reasonable excuse for being protected last time," she sighed, "I was just trying to kill you. I should have killed you when I had the chance."

"No," Nate said, shaking his head at her thoughts, "It would have destroyed you."

"And we would have lost the game," she smiled, tears cascading down her face no matter how hard she tried to stop them.

Nate kissed her then. He didn't even wipe away the falling tears when he captured her lips with his own. He just slammed their lips together and splayed his fingers in her hair. His tongue tugged at hers until she relented and allowed him to take control. Sparks flew as the two lovers battled their fears together with love. Tingles were going up and down the pregnant woman's spine, urging for this moment to never end.

The snap of a twig drew them apart. Both of their heads swiveled towards the source, weapons ready for battle. It was only Eliot. He was staring at them as if they were foreign objects deserving of ridicule. He looked completely perplexed by their ability to go from a make-out session to battle mode in under seconds flat.

"I can't believe you heard that," he scowled in dismay, "Johanna's the one with the bat ears and she's sleeping like a log. How did you hear that?"

"It's a gift," Nate replied, lowering his arrow with a soft smile. Both men were kindly ignoring the pregnant woman currently wiping away her tears. Instead they were heckling each other to get rid of the tension in the air.

"Well that gift is valuable," Eliot sighed, "It took me years to do that and I didn't even have to use it for my games."

"Right," Sophie laughed, catching onto the conversation immediately, "Yours was the game with the erupting volcano that made the entire arena flood!"

"No," Eliot said, shaking his head with sadness on his features, "That was the game Aimee Martin won."

"The Aimee whose voice the Jabberjay mimicked," Nate nodded.

Silence enveloped the group as realization dawned. Well, Eliot and Nate seemed to have a new level of understanding. Sophie was just confused. What was so important about Aimee Martin that Snow would have a Jabberjay mimic her screams? Then she observed Eliot's sad, red eyes and knew instantly why her screams.

"Oh," she gasped, licking her lips and ignoring the burning sensation in her cheeks, "I didn't know."

"Nobody knew," Eliot replied, pausing just long enough to allow his words more time to gather, "at least, that's what I thought."

Silence returned as the news reached them all. President Snow had spies everywhere. The rumor was true. Nowhere in Panem was safe from his blood-thirsty gaze. That was why she was sent into the arena. He knew she was pregnant with Nathan Ford's child. He knew before she could even tell Nate.

Anger bubbled inside Sophie Devereaux (Ford) then. Fury at Snow's evil plan and pain at the knowledge it revealed. It didn't matter what Nate or Parker did. It didn't matter if Eliot, Archie, Beetee or any of the others decided to die for her. Nothing they did would make a difference. President Snow was going to make certain she didn't survive.

_Oh well,_ Sophie thought her fury capping itself for the moment, _I guess I'm going to have to make certain he doesn't succeed._

Then the young woman carrying Nathan Ford's baby had a thought. It was a delicious thought. It was deceitful, diabolical and treason to many in Panem. It would involve a lot of work, outside help and more gumption than she had ever experienced before.

Sophie Ford was going to kill President Snow.

"Come on, Soph," Nate said, interrupting her horrible thoughts before she could become a true monster, "It's time for Johanna and Parker to take over the watch. You need all of the sleep you can get."

"Alright," she said, her voice sounding distant even to her own ears. Hopefully she would be able to pass that off as exhaustion. At the very least the others weren't commenting on it.

"Archie made you guys a place by the fire," Eliot explained, "He said it was best for the baby in case the Gamemakers decide to send poisonous bugs our way during the night. Bugs aren't fans of smoke or fire apparently."

Sophie nodded along to the District Four champion's words. She wasn't really listening though. The idea of killing President Snow was too lovely to leave alone. She tucked herself in bed, thinking about tucking a knife into the president's shoulder. She fluffed her jacket of a pillow, envisioning hammering in the president's kneecaps. Then she felt Nate's arms wrap around her and her anger was gone. Sleep took her with dreams of President Snow getting one of Nate's arrows in the eyeball. The vision put a smile on her face as sleep took her deeper.


	12. Boom!

**A/N:** _Here comes the home stretch and its a doozy!_

Nate was noisily awakened the very next morning. Screams were coming from every which way. Sophie was already awake, her eyes wide with fright and her growing form curled tightly into his side. The young man looked for the cause of this unusual fear and screeching noise. He turned his head up and groaned. The monkeys moved.

Eliot was already swinging his trident, wildly daring one of the creatures to come towards him. He grabbed onto the pregnant champion and forced her to her feet, shoving her towards Archie's open arms. Parker already had her bow and arrows ready, looking for an attack from behind. Beetee was twirling his precious wire and doing an interesting job of waking Johanna up.

Nate looked to his left and shouted in triumph. His bow and arrows were right there beside him. He rolled over, placing them upon his back as he did. He strung up an arrow and waited for the monkeys' surprise.

And continued to wait.

"Why aren't they attacking?" Parker asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Archie replied, staring at the monkeys with avid fascination.

It was bizarre to say the least. Each and every one of the small creatures were screaming and hollering. Yet they made no move to attack. They just stood there, slowly growing more manic as time progressed. They were foaming at the mouth and their eyes were rolling every which way. But nobody fired upon them for fear of provoking the creatures into combat.

"Do you think the Gamemakers are making them do that to distract us from a bigger threat?" Sophie demanded, somehow escaping the District Eleven Champion's strong grip to peer at the creatures. She was swirling her knives in case they attacked but she was still far too close for Nate's liking.

"Sophie, get away from there," Nate ordered, pulling back his quiver in preparation of the kill.

"Oh just shoot one already," Johanna purred.

She was right beside the District Twelve Champion, swinging her axe as if it were a tiny play toy. Her eyes were glued to the monkeys with amusement. Beetee was glaringly standing by her side, trying to figure out the odd phenomenon as well.

"If we shoot one the others might think it is a cause of attack," Beetee sighed.

"It's almost as if they're waiting for something," Sophie observed, moving closer to the woods.

The District One Champion turned around in search of an unseen foe. And that was the moment the monkeys decided to attack.

They sprang from the tree like ravenous dogs. Nate loosed an arrow and managed to kill two in one go. Another arrow fell into three, signaling Parker's handy work as well. But it was already too late. Sophie was too far away from the group and all of the monkeys were aiming for her. The moment they had been waiting for had been when her back was turned.

"No!" Nate screamed, futility making itself known in his heart.

The pregnant woman barely even had time to react. Her brown eyes connected with blue, wide with terrified fear at her fatal end. The monkeys swished their pathetic tails, their jaws opened wide showing off their large teeth. Their claws were primed and ready to cut through even the biggest trees. Dozens of them fell to the ground while hundreds more aimed for the woman of District One, their blood thirsty eyes waiting for their thirst to be quenched.

A ruffle of feathers was the only warning they got. A blur flew through the air, catching the monkeys full on. Then another blur appeared out of nowhere and pushed the brunette to the ground. It was the Morphling twins of District Six, each one bearing the brunt of the attack with no qualms or pleas of mercy. They each grappled with the hairy critters, fighting and biting at the animals just as they were assaulted back. A canon fired. Blood was swirling around in a chaotic mess. Fur was flying. So was skin. Everyone was moving towards the cluster, hoping for some sign of when it would end.

Then the monkeys, what few remained, just suddenly stopped and disappeared. They left nothing behind and acted as though nothing had happened, as if they had been hypnotized right from the start. Still, there was no doubt they had been there.

Sophie was lying exactly where she was pushed, breathing heavily with eyes bulging. Archie was at her side coaxing her to calm down. She was putting up a brilliant fight considering. Patches of fur and blood decorated her whole body.

"Sophie!" Nate screamed when the observation finally hit him.

He started scanning her body, fingers trailing searching for anything that would point to the source of blood. But no opening came. Her injuries were nonexistent. Her splatterings were only a result of being too close to the fray. No trail of blood footprints could be seen coming towards or away from her shaking form, but the Morphling Twins were another story.

They each had trails of blood spouting up and down their arms. The first one, the male, was staring at the sky, his eyes blank. His hands were curled in a permanent fist. His hair, few as it was, stood on end splattered in blood. His skinny chest lay open, exposing many openings and even bone in some spots. His face was clawed through, severed at the left ear. His body lay in wait for the hovercraft to take him home.

A gasp of a groan snapped Sophie out of her funk. She twisted her brown curls towards her right and hurriedly scrambled over to the lying mass of the female Morphling. The pregnant woman took the bloody hand into hers and kissed it tenderly. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she looked down upon her protector.

"Rest now," she said her voice low and soothing for the dying woman's last moments, "You saved me and my baby. I am forever in your debt."

The Morphling woman smiled towards her. She lifted her shaking right hand and pressed it against Sophie's bump. A gurgling sound escaped her mouth, blood joining the mess. Instead of being disgusted though, Sophie smiled back. She grabbed ahold of the hand on her bump and pulled the dying woman into her arms. Then she began rocking back and forth, humming a mournful tune. It was the same one she sang when she was repairing his injuries during their first games, a lullaby of long ago. There she sat, cradling the Morphling woman in her eyes as if she were a baby. The woman closed her eyes, her head in the crook of Sophie's neck feeling the vibrations of her song. Her chest slowed its movements and her canon fired off.

"Come on," Eliot cried, tugging the tiny Morphling out of Sophie's hands, "The hovercraft will be here soon. Let's go."

"There aren't any flowers," Sophie replied softly, "I can't give them a proper send off."

"We will tonight, Soph," Nate said, immediately pulling her to his side, "we'll light them a fire and say something nice about them."

"Like how much they enjoyed painting," Johanna joked with a giggle.

Everybody turned to glare at her but she just shrugged in reply. But her eyes no longer shone with brilliance. They were dull and dark, so very unlike how they were before. She looked older too. Her wrinkles, the few she had developed, were more apparent now. Her back even had a slight bend to it and her axe dragged on the ground. Her normal, happy glow was nowhere in sight.

"Lucky for us they decided to follow Sophie around like little lost puppies," Johanna muttered softly, "Can you imagine the bloodbath if those monkeys actually got their real target?"

"Stop it," Eliot ordered, his voice a low hiss of warning.

Johanna stared at him in complete surprise. Shock quickly registered on her face, making her appear paler than before. She blinked and the image was gone. She was her usual happy self again.

"I suggest we move on," she said, "those monkeys could come back and eventually we will run out of people to sacrifice instead."

Sophie watched the District Seven Champion go in confusion. Her eyebrows creased as she tried to comprehend what just happened. The Morphling Twins couldn't have been that attached to her. All she did was talk to them during training. She helped them with their painting and even put in the extra effort of getting them to learn about the plant life. They weren't very interested but they would always leap for joy whenever she gave them some sweet fruit to eat. In fact, she did seem to gain them as a posse during training. She just thought that was because nobody else actually talked to them though.

"Why did they do that?" Sophie asked, staring at her secret husband in confusion.

"I don't know," Nate shrugged, "but I'm glad they did."

"Me too," Sophie agreed, smiling sadly.

"Let's go," Parker called, "before they decide to send out a search party or Moreau's gang comes to pick us off."

Nobody argued with the blonde's thoughts. Nate grabbed his wife's hand and tugged her along. Their group headed further down the beach, closer to the Cornucopia and further away from the unusual monkeys and their awful behavior. He had to struggle to ignore the incoming hovercraft. Its whirling sounds did nothing for his nerves, forcing images of Maggie's death before his eyes. He had to blink several times in order to get rid of the blood. Sophie squeezed his hand tighter, seeming to sense his thoughts.

They arrived at their brand new campsite within moments. The ringing of bells filled their ears as a silver parachute made an appearance. It was another basket of biscuits. This time, there were twelve from District Three.

"Twelve biscuits and seven of us," Eliot sighed, "That's not exactly enough."

"Well the less tributes available the more costly food items tend to be," Archie said, nodding in agreement, "Unfortunately we must have missed another canon during the night."

"We didn't miss it," Johanna hummed, "Somebody else went for a swim when the Morphling Twins decided to jump in the way of the monkeys. That's why we didn't hear their canon. Apparently they died around the same time."

"We'll worry about that later," Archie growled, gaining everybody's attention while Beetee handed out the biscuits as evenly as possible, "Right now we have bigger animals to fry."

"He means we have a plan to take out Moreau and his team," Beetee translated.

"We're going to use the wire we received yesterday," Archie said, "And we're going to electrocute the water."

"How do we do that?" Eliot asked, sounding thoroughly confused.

Nate chuckled at that. When everybody turned towards him he stopped. He took a deep breath and explained why he laughed.

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked, "The lightning tree."

"Right you are, Nate," Archie nodded, "We're going to attach the wire to the lightning tree and run it all the way to the ocean water."

"Because the wire is metal and metal filters electricity," Parker giggled, enjoying this plan a little too much, "It's how they keep the fence and houses connected in District Twelve."

"You sure are smart, Kiddo," Archie said, winking at the girl with pride all over his features.

"When do we attack?" Nate demanded softly.

He was more than ready for this to be over. The Gamemakers and President Snow declared war. Those monkeys had intended to attack Sophie. Snow wanted her and the baby dead and gone forever. He was trying to squash whatever spark he felt they started the day Sophie jumped in front of that knife. They didn't have very long before somebody was bound to succeed. The sooner they could get out the better. With any luck, Archie's plan would eliminate more than just Moreau and his band of crooks.

"Tomorrow," Beetee said.

Nate furrowed his brow in confusion. He felt fury build within his chest when the word finally penetrated. Tomorrow! They wanted to do this elaborate plan tomorrow! They wanted to put Sophie in danger for another day. That was unacceptable.

"We can't do it tomorrow," Nate said, "We have to do it today. President Snow will have Sophie and the baby dead by then!"

"Yeah," Johanna agreed, "and we don't have the Morphling tagalongs to jump in the way this time. Of course, they were higher than kites to begin with so I don't really see why it was so important to jump in front of Sophie to begin with. Maybe they thought she was a giant vile of the stuff and that was why they did it."

"Hey!" Eliot shouted, "Remember who your enemy is! Those guys protected Sophie with their lives. They didn't have to do that. They could have just let those stupid monkeys kill her and her child. They didn't do that, Mason! They deserve respect."

"And they have my eternal gratitude," Nate finished the pair's argument immediately, "So don't say anything bad about them."

"They're heroes," Parker huffed.

Nate smiled at the girl's statement. He couldn't help but feel pride at his ally's actions. The blonde Seam girl did nothing but impress him throughout the entirety of the games. Everything she did was above and beyond the call of duty. She was making the ultimate sacrifice, dying all for the sake of his and Sophie's unborn child. She had become quite the young woman since the day she was a half-starved critter barely surviving all those years ago.

"So why do we have to wait until tomorrow?" Nate demanded of the group at large, happy the blonde was on his side.

"Because frying the water means all of the food in it is gone for good," Eliot explained.

"And it's going to take at least a day to make certain our plan is rock solid," Johanna agreed, exchanging a significant look with the District Four Champion, "We also want to make sure preggers over there is well enough for combat. She did almost die today."

"We have to give the Champions of District Six a proper send-off, Nate," Sophie growled, glaring at the young man of District Twelve, "I don't need to be protected from every bloody thing, you know."

"Of course, Soph," Nate replied, smiling towards her innocently, "You are more than perfectly capable of taking care of yourself."

"I'm going fishing," Eliot announced.

Parker and Johanna seemed to agree with his idea. Beetee and Archie raised their eyebrows and exchanged amused looks. Nate just stared at the woman carrying his child, swallowing back the fear he felt at the impending argument of doom.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Nate had his arrow drawn and ready to go. They were implementing Archie and Beetee's plan. Sophie and Parker were protecting them while they tied the wire to the tree. Johanna was helping Eliot roll the wire to the water. It was his job to make certain Moreau, Brutus, Enobaria and the others didn't come anywhere near them. It put him in the perfect position to end the alliance.

Snap!

Nate spun around, an arrow ready to kill the perpetrator if possible. He barely managed to identify the streaming cord on its way to his head. He dived out of the way, fear gripping his heart like never before.

"Was that supposed to happen?" He shouted, catching a moment of Eliot's spinning head in his view.

"No," the man replied, nodding somewhere above him.

A body suddenly collided with the District Twelve Champion. It rolled them both further down the hill onto the beach they were supposed to avoid. Nate pushed out his right fist, fighting off his attacker with every ounce of his strength. He saw a glint and grabbed the plunging knife when it was only millimeters from cutting into his heart.

"Hold still!"

Nate's eyes blew wide in shock. It was Johanna. She was betraying them. Of course, he was going to do the same thing so he wasn't exactly one to talk. Still, he hadn't expected her to turn on the others so quickly. She and Eliot must have come up with this plan the same time he, Parker and Sophie tried to discuss ending the alignment as well. Naturally, Sophie was the one who declared that they would continue until Archie's plan succeeded.

"I said hold still!" Johanna shouted, effectively capturing his struggling limbs.

Before Nate could even think of answering, a piercing pain erupted into his arm. Nate howled in pain and pushed the woman off of him. He turned towards his arm and stared at the blood pouring from his arm. He tried to stem the bleeding but nothing seemed to work. He struggled to get to his feet, watching his blood glow as it slipped to the earth below.

And a canon fired.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Sophie was out of breath and begging for the world to stop spinning. Her heart had nearly stopped when she heard Nate howl in pain. Parker disappeared moments later. Then a canon sounded off. She had no idea who was alive and who was dead. The blonde was nowhere in sight and Beetee was doing a wonderful job of chasing her. He was inches away from catching her, ruining any hope of knowing who had died.

He caught her moments later.

"We need to get out of here," Beetee said, wrapping his arms around her and nearly lifting her off the ground, "The lightning is about to strike. You need to think about the baby."

"I'm thinking about my baby's father," Sophie explained, struggling with all of her might.

"He's dead," a voice called from the dark, "Just like you too soon will be."

"Brutus!" Beetee gasped, pulling Sophie behind him.

Brutus chuckled as he stepped out of the shadows. His smile grew as two more canons fired off. Parker, Eliot, Nate and Johanna were nowhere in sight and three canons had now fired. The odds were not in their favor right now.

"Did you kill him?" Sophie demanded, her voice sounding waspish to her own ears.

"Of course not little girl," Brutus laughed, "Moreau had special plans for him. I'm going to enjoy killing you."

"She's from your district," Beetee pointed out softly, "They'll kill you if you hurt her."

"They didn't kill her when they killed my boy James," Brutus replied, his smile growing dark and sinister, "I think they'll understand this time around too."

Beetee suddenly launched himself onto the man. He threw a few punches and howled as a knife found its way into his leg. He and Brutus scrappled and wrestled over logs and branches.

"Sophie," Beetee hollered, "Run!"

The young woman didn't need to be told twice. She raced as far away from the pair as she could. Then an ax thrown by Enobaria changed her direction. She turned back towards Archie and the tree, hoping for an ally there. Instead all she found was an unconscious man and an abandoned bow and arrows.

Another canon sounded and her heart stopped. One of her family was no longer with her. Parker or Nate no longer had their protection. They were gone and she didn't know who. A knife skid past her right cheek and embedded itself in a tree. The pregnant woman rolled towards the bow and arrows and prepared herself for battle.

She let loose an arrow, barely missing Enobaria by inches. Johanna came out of nowhere and tackled the woman to the ground. The two women pushed and scuffled in and out of range. Johanna was doing her best to get rid of the older woman but she was struggling, blood falling from her head from some unknown injury.

Another canon fired, symbolizing another fallen champion. For a moment it seemed as though Archie finally met an end. Then he groaned and showed some sign of life. He moved towards the tree a little bit, his hand groping for something. Then he collapsed against the tree again, out cold.

A scream erupted from the two women. Johanna kicked Enobaria in the face, sending her backwards into the woods. Then she grabbed her ax and followed after her. Sophie drew another arrow and began to follow her.

"_Remember who your enemy is._"

Sophie blinked at the sudden thought. Those words had been Haymitch's last order to Nate. He told her that, but why? Why would it be so important to remember those words now? When Nate and Parker's lives were in danger?

Sophie stared at the detached wire in Archie's hands. She looked at the knife it was attached to and tilted her head to the left. Why would Archie attach a blade to a metal wire? Why was the blade stuck in the tree instead of lying on the ground?

That was when the shimmering spot caught her eye. Way up high, there was a square of weakness in the arena's force field. It was dancing high for anybody who was looking to see. The knife was caught in the tree branch just below it. Why was Archie aiming for the weak-point?

"_Remember who your enemy is."_

Chaos, Brutus, Moreau, they weren't the enemy. No, the Capitol was. The Capitol and President Snow had forced her into the arena twice. They were the ones who were trying to separate her from Nate. They were the ones trying to destroy her family.

Sophie quickly grabbed onto the end of the wire not attached to the tree-embedded knife. She fastened it to her arrow and aimed. She took a deep breath and loosed the arrow. It pierced the weak-point perfectly.

There was a sudden flash of white and then nothing but black.


	13. After the Storm

**A/N:** _And here you go!_

Sophie awoke with a stiff pain in her back. She blinked up at the ceiling hovering above her. Flashes of the night's events weren't even in her mind yet but her hand already went to her womb. The baby kicked in answer to her question. It was alive and well. They were alive and well.

The thumping of hovercraft wings jogged her memory just enough. She remembered that she returned to the arena. That she and Nate were fighting for survival once again. He had left because of fear for Parker. Something happened to the girl to make him worry. The wire snapped.

Sophie jumped out of her bed in alarm of the memories plaguing her mind. Images of the lightning coursing through the tree kept flashing. She saw the wire they were going to use to harness that energy as clear as day. She remembered shooting the arrow into the force-field.

Somebody left a syringe on the table nearby. The District One champion didn't hesitate. She grabbed the weapon and hid it in her sleeve. She didn't care what kind of dangers she was about to face. She would pump anybody she found with the liquid in the syringe. She had to find Nate at all costs. Nothing else mattered.

She carefully watched out for any of Snow's men. Nobody seemed to be in the hallways. So she slowly crept down the hall towards the area she assumed was the front. A familiar voice began to float through the air.

"Are you sure that girl's going to understand?" Haymitch asked.

Sophie crinkled her nose in disgust. Haymitch Abernathy was now second on her list of people she would kill if Nate was dead. He was right behind President Snow and she was going to make him pay for his betrayal.

"It doesn't matter," Jimmy Ford explained, "That child is our top priority. Everything else had to come second."

Sophie raced into the room with hatred soaring in her veins. How could he do this to Nate? How could they? Nate's own father betrayed their trust. They deserved to die.

Rough hands seized the girl before she could even begin to make them pay. Hot tears prickled down her cheeks as Haymitch stole away the only hope she had left. Jimmy was holding her close and crying as well. He just held tight as she continued to struggle against him. He wasn't going to let her extract any form of revenge.

"This is why you're not the brains of the operation," Haymitch explained. Then he twirled the syringe in the air as if in example. "What exactly were you going to do with this, Princess? Pump us with air?"

"Actually I was going to gouge out your eyes," Sophie spouted back spitefully. Then she tore herself away from Jimmy's clutches. The tears were still trickling down but she was ready for anything. They had betrayed Nate. They deserved her hatred. She turned towards her father-in-law in misery.

"How could you do this?" She asked, "How could you betray him? He's your son."

"Sit down and listen, Princess," Haymitch growled, "Get the facts before you start judging us."

Sophie stood out of spite. The baby seemed united with her as well. It didn't even stir at the idea of sitting.

"Fine," Haymitch rolled his eyes, "But before you keep accusing us of betrayal, please note that we are on the same side. You shot the arrow into the force-field and it went down. We took you out of the arena before they could get you."

"We're going to District Thirteen, Sophie," Jimmy interrupted, "Nate was right. It exists. The rebellion has begun."

"Rebellion," Sophie gasped, "This all happened because of a rebellion? Am I the only one who survived?"

"NO," Jimmy replied before Haymitch could even think of saying anything, "You're not the only one."

"Eliot mentioned killing Chaos before he passed out," Haymitch explained, "Nice job dodging Enobaria by the way."

"Nate?" Sophie demanded greedily.

Jimmy shook his head.

"The Capitol has him," Haymitch explained.

Sophie felt her world turn at a slant. Suddenly, Jimmy was helping her into a chair and shoving a glass in her hand. He was instructing her to calm down, rubbing circles into her hands. He even helped her pour the water past her lips. The tears had returned in full force and his arms were around her. The tears fell harder as she wished they belonged to her husband, his son, instead.

"I've got a present for you," Jimmy smiled sadly towards her.

Then he stepped away to reveal Parker sitting in what she could only assume was his chair. The poor girl had several bruises decorating her beautiful face. Her blue-grey eyes were big, teary orbs. One of her arms was at an odd angle but other than that she looked whole. She even tried to form a smile for her sister-in-law, but she only ended up giving in to her emotions.

"He pushed me out of the way," she explained through her tears, racing towards the pregnant brunette and burying her face in her chest. "We were fighting Brutus and then there was this giant flash and Brutus was gone. I saw the hovercraft collect him and then this one came to collect me. I thought it was the Capitol but it wasn't."

"It's alright, Parker," Sophie croaked, despair filling every fiber of her body. "At least you're safe."

That was the only consolation prize. Everything else was worthless. Nate was gone. But President Snow had yet to win. The baby was fine. And as long as that child made it to birth, he would lose. The baby was everything, for Jimmy, for Parker, for the rebellion, and for Sophie. The baby was how Nate would survive.

End of Fusion Two


End file.
